Welcome to the family
by Bluebombmonkey
Summary: Alucard and Seras are drawn together by a new arrival at the Hellsing household, but is the new arrival to be trusted with the houses secrets?
1. The Letter

Sir Integra scowled as she read the letter in front of her. The flowing handwriting had been penned by an old family friend who was writing to inform her of an alarming discovery they had made to do with the Hellsing Family. If the letter was to be believe, as she highly doubted,sir integer had a living, if slightly distant relative! Sighing aloud Integra placed the paper gently down onto her desk and lit a cigar. The smoke danced upwards and gathered at the ceiling before dispersing into the rest of the room.

"What do you think of this?" she asked the elderly gentle man,who was patiently waiting beside her. He briefly scanned the letter and tilted his head in consideration

"I think it will be worth our time to investigate, Sir Integra. If nothing else it may be a solution to containing Alucard and his fledgling in the future" Walter allowed his thought to hang in the air, hoping that his employer would see the possibility of prosperity this may bring to the family, if the letter was to be believed of had always been a concern of his that after Sir Integra died the two vampires would be be forced to end their own un-lives, or be released into society, having every vampire hunter in the work out to kill them. This could be a solution to the problem, not forever, butt certainly for a little while.

"You honestly think that the blood tie is strong enough?" Integra asked

"Well the young lady is what? Your cousins daughter, yes?" he paused, calculating the relation "That does make her you second cousin, I dont see it being too much of a stretch, but there is only one way to be sure"

"He has to meet her" She replied steadily "Walter?"

"Yes Madame?"

"Prepare a room for this…" she glanced at the letter to confirm her so-called relatives name "this Bethany"

"Certainly, Sir Integra" Walter relied with a small smile. He made a bow before departing the room swiftly, there would be much to do if another member of the hellsing family was to enter the household.

Seras cracked open her eyes and stared at the roof of dark roof of her coffin. Pressing the button to open the lid of her bed, she rolled out an landed, cat-like, on her cold stone floor. Standing up, she read the the small bedside clock, which Walter had gotten her on request. The large digital face, and green glowing numbers told her that it was nearly half nine in the evening. Thankfully it was winter so such hours were now consumed by the darkness of nightfall, meaning that Seras was allowed such simple pleasures as a walk outside immediately after she got dressed, instead of having to wait for sunset. She was also blessed by the fact that her master would not awake for at least another hour, and she took great pleasure in slackening her mental barriers and actually having some time where she knew her master wouldn't disturb her reverie.

She opened her wardrobe and looked at the disappointing array of clothes, there was, of course, a pile of fresh and folded uniforms and underwear on one side, and on the other some simple looking casual clothes that she had been allowed to take from her old residence when she was a police officer. It was at times like these, she wished that she had chosen more varied styles, for she now only owned a pair of jeans and a handful of drab t-shirts. Sighing inwardly she pulled on the Hellsing uniform and made her way up and out of the basement ind towards the gardens that spread outwards from the back of the house.

Walking her usual circuit around the gardens Seras' mind wandered. Around her most things in the garden had died or gone into a state of hibernation, to hide from the cold weather that was apparent at this late stage in the year. It had been a couple of years science her master had turned her in that small village. Many things had happened science then, she had lost many people but she had also come to accept her nature. However she was still felt like a very apparent bother to those around her, especially Alucard, who still saw his fledgling as an over-emotional train-wreak. Serras had to admit it, she was lonely. Human friends were hard to keep, the only ones she knew well enough were the soldiers, who you weren't sure you'd see one mission to the next, or Walter or Sir Integra, but Sir Integra wasn't the friendly type and Walter was nice but always very busy. Seras enjoyed his company, however, she had never really felt especially close to the man.

Removing these thought from her brain momentarily Seras moved to the front of the manor where she noticed the soldiers were acting slightly strange. There appeared to be more on guard than usual tonight and, unlike the usual groups of men talking about one thing or another, they marched with order and discipline, but only a select few were carrying their weapons visibly. Perhaps they were expecting an attack? She frowned, that couldn't be it otherwise she would have been called, something else was going on tonight. Hugging the wall of the building, and its shadows, so that no-one noticed her presence, she watched as Walter Exited the main door of the mansion and have a hurried conversation with one of the commanders, quite unusual for the normally unflappable retainer.

"Thats unusual" she mused aloud "I wonder what is going on…?"

"Good evening, Police Girl" a low voice rumbled behind her. She jumped at the sound and instantly fortified her mental barriers. It wasn't like she had been thinking anything especially important or secretive, but she still didn't like her master snooping around. Just in case.

"Don't do that!" she said, angrily, in a low voice. "You scared me!" Alucard merely tilted his head and chuckled with amusement, he did so enjoy toying with his fledgling. He watched as her crimson eyes, originally widened in shock, now sparkled with annoyance and anger. Direceted at him, of course. However, instead of rising to the bait she turned away from him. Curioys as to what had drawn her attention he gazed over her head and at the groups of patrolling soldiers. He tried to read her mind for a reason as to why she had decided to hide in the darkest shadows of the mansion and watch the troops, but all he found was a solid wall and a lot of resistance from his influence. Smiling inwardly at this accomplishment his fledgling had made, he decided to go about this the old fashioned way and ask her.

"What are you doing out here?" Alucard briefly wondered if Seras was still wanting to become a human again. That was one thing he could never deny, to himself, he found her unrelenting grip on her humanity absolutely fascinating He shook his head, and cleared his mind of such thoughts, despite the fact that she still behaved in a very un-vampiric manner, she had learnt to accept her fate and in some ways embrace it.

_'__So why watch the humans?'_ he wondered _'there must be another reason…'_he scanned the humans again, looking for anything that his fledgling may find so captivating, however before he was able to locate such a thing she decided to interrupt his concentration by answering his question.

"I went for a walk" She murmured eyes still tracking the humans.

"Really?" he inquired "because it looks remarkably like you are stalking the young men in uniform…" He commented with a crooked smile, which only proceeded to grow in size as he saw the Police Girls shoulders tense in embarrassment and agitation

"Very funny" she spat unceremoniously, still she didn't look at him. Deciding to ignore her masters comment Seras said instead "Don't you think they're all acting kinda strange?" She peered closer at al the men, they looked nervous, in fact Seras was almost certain that she could smell the apprehension coing off them. She frowned. No. That wasn't possible, was it? Breathing deeply she smelt the air again. She was right! A small smile tugged at the edges of her lips. A Heavy but sweet aroma was wafting over from the soldiers

"Curious…" She muttered under her breath. What was happening that was making all theses fully trained FREAK killing troops so worried

Alucard, who had also noticed the odd behaviour of the humans, finally, was now watching as intently as the Police Girl to see if any could offer an explanation of why things were not running the same as they usually did int he house of Hellsing. He had never seen them like this, even Walter, who had now gone inside, had been fidgeting. They had never done this before, not even when he came into the room, coated in his enemies blood. Whatever was expect by the soldiers must have been truly terrifying

Deciding that loitering in the shadows of the house was neither worth his time noe becoming of two vampires, he was about to make a snide comment and slink off somewhere, when Alucard noticed how close Seras as to him. Normaly the vampire would actively avoid letting anyone close to his person, not even his master was allowed such a privilege. But there stood Seras, inches from him and he had barely even noticed. He sniffed and glared at the back of the little draculina's head, he was getting too comfortable around her. Wondering how she had managed to take a small part of his trust, he stepped back and began to walk in the other direction. If he wanted answered, there was no point in standing around with a person who had less of a clue of what was going on than himself. Chuckling softly he melted into the darkness, intent on finding his master and some answers

Seras hadn't noticed her masters departure until she turned to ask about her new sense of smell, only to find that he had already left her side. At such a revelation into her current circumstance, Seras found herself feeling quite empty all of a sudden. Ushering the feelings out her thought she decided to go back inside and hunt down Walter. Perhaps he could offer her some answers.


	2. A Ladies Arrival

Walter pulled the covers on the bed taught before glancing around the room with an air satisfaction and triumph that he usually gained when organizing a whole room to his very high standards. The decor of the room was decidedly dated, to be sure, but it was neither gaudy or out of style with the rest of the house, and a room of such a large size seemed to welcome the dark, stately wooden bed-frames and contrasting cream, gold and aqua furnishings. The elderly retainer had to admit that he found the room rather refreshing in comparison to the rest of the Hellsing manor. The large floor to ceiling windows allowed for a glorious view of the gardens, and in return, beckoned in cascades of light from outside, banishing the shadows into the corners of the room. He had specifically chosen this room due to the large storage spaces, which he felt would be suited to their young guests needs, and the fact that the high levels of light would hopefully discourage the vampires from visiting too often, especially Alucard, whom could never be trusted around new people.

Sighing to himself he turned around, intent on preparing a meal for the soon to be arriving visitor, only to find the young Seras standing at the door and studying the inside of the room intently.

" Ah Miss Victoria, you startled me" he said in a slightly uneasy tone. He wondered how she had managed to sneak up on him; even Alucard had trouble doing such things him these days. He shook his head gently, his work was taking up too much of his attention, and he needed to be more aware of his surroundings. The vampire had yet to say a word, and she was, apparently, still captivated by the room. "Is there something I can help you with Miss?" he asked gently

"Oh sorry!" Seras replied, snapping back to attention with a lighthearted grin. "Yes, I was just wondering, ya'know, if you could tell me what is going on?' again her attention was taken around the room, which was immaculately presented and quite comfortable looking.

"I'm sorry Miss Victoria, you're going to have to be more specific"

"Right, sorry." It's just the soldiers are all acting strangely and seem nervous about something…" she focused her gaze back onto the elderly retainer "And then there is this room…" she did find it strange that Walter was in a usually abandoned pert of the house clearing a room she hadn't even knew existed

"Ah yes of course, I assumed you already new. We are to be expecting a rather unusual guest in about…" he pulled out a small pocket watch, that was attached to a chain, from his waistcoat and read the small ornate clock-face "oh my, she is coming in less than half an hour!" he looked up at the vampire, "I really am sorry Miss Victoria, but I must go fetch Sir Integra."The butler wove past Seras and briskly walked down the corridors of the mansion.

"Greet who? Why is this guest so special? You still haven't really answered my question!" she called after the man. Deciding that standing around wouldn't get her any answers, she decided to follow Walter until she had a clearer idea of what was going on. The retainer, seeing that she wouldn't be satisfied by such vague replies sighed and, with an air of boredom, said

"It has been brought to our attention that the Hellsing family may have another living heir, other than Sir Integra, her name is Bethany and she will be staying with us until such a time as we can confirm or deny such information"

"Another heir? What if this information is wrong?"

"Then she shall leave" He said manner-of-factly

"And if it's true?"

"Then she shall stay and you'll be meeting your new boss" Walter couldn't help it, he smiled a little. The vampire had paled even further than her usual ivory tone and her mouth had formed a little 'o' in surprise. She understood now why all of the guards were so nervous, they wanted to make a good impression on their, possibly, new employer. "Was the room for her, then?" She asked curiously

"Yes" Walter replied, he did have a soft spot for the most recent addition to the vampire proportion of the household, but he was beginning to wonder if she was taking this as seriously as she should be. A brief glance to behind him showed him a face that held more excitement than apprehension.

"What's she like, this Bethany?" Seras couldn't help it, a new person in the house! It wasn't everyday she met someone new that she didn't end up terminating on a mission

"She is said to be quite young, around 16 if our informer is correct. Apart from the fact that all her family is dead and that she has been under the employ of her majesties government for the past few years, we know very little of her personality…" Seras frowned, employed by the government? But she was so young, what would she have been doing? A girl that age focusing on anything but her school and social life was unimaginable to her! However the all-further questions that she wanted to ask the retainer were stifled as the large doors to Integras office loomed in the distance. She watched as Walter knocked three times and entered, she was about to turn on her heel and leave when, suddenly, she heard her masters voice ring inside of her head.

"C_ome in Police Girl, my master wants us all present" _Smiling contently to herself Seras slipped into the office with all the grace her vampire powers granted her and closed the door behind her.

Alucard watched as his fledgling entered the room, the small girlish smile that played on hr lips made it clear that she had been informed of the visitor that they were to be expecting. A brief glance into her mind revealed that her mental walls were still in place and were as strong as ever, but some emotions still swam outside of her mental guards. The most obvious and tangible of these was excitement. He sniffed with contempt, Alucard hadn't been nearly so happy to hear that his master had found a possible replacement for when she passed. Another human, to tell him what to do, trapping him in slavery for another fifty years. He by no means disliked his current master, it was just that situations such as these made his illusions of freedom become ever more distant. Holding back a snarl of irritation, he instead focused on his fledglings mood, in hopes of lightening his own. He was still slightly confused as to why Seras found such pleasure in finding out she trapped here, even after Integra died. It was as if she didn't see how this human would only prolonged her captivity. Still, the pretty smile framed her face nicely and she seemed so happy with her existence. Somehow, in her smile, he found some comfort, though he was not sure why.

Turning his head back towards his master he listened as she explained the 'rules' that the two vampires were to follow if the young girl was going to stay. They were completely banned from feeding off of her or harming he in any way. They were also banned from entering the girls chambers unless they had permission from her before-hand. Apart from that they were pretty much to treat her as they saw fit, as long as they weren't disrespectful or purposefully intimidating. At that point a long meaningful stare was aimed at Alucard, who Seras was almost certain she saw pout a little at such a direct ban. She giggled to herself slightly at such a reaction from her master, he would have trouble getting over such a strong part of his own character. Suddenly she became acutely aware that everyone's eyes were now focused on her. Mentally she cursed herself for not taking the situation seriously enough.

The furious look she received from Integra, alone, would had been enough to freeze a waterfall, but fortunately the silence, and everyone's judging stares, were soon broken by Walter who had cleared his throat, drawing their attention over to him instead. Secretly Seras thanked the man in her mind, glad she wouldn't have do deal with the self-imposed embarrassment she so often brought upon herself.

"I do believe that young Bethany has arrived…" He informed the room. Silently, one by one they filtered out of the room, and made their way out into the main hallway where they waited for the young girl. Integra and Walter stood side by side in the centre of the room, facing the main doors, which were open in an attempt to make the house seem more welcoming. The large archway let the moons silver light fall into the room and silhouetted the figures that stood in the center of the room. Alucard and his fledgling stood in the shadows, to the left of the room, watching as a large black car pulled up into the driveway and stopped in front of the mansion. Seras took an unnecessary breath and clenched her fists as the car door opened and a young woman, a teenager, stepped out of the car and stared at the inhabitants of the house. The soldiers posted on either side of the door initially drew the young ladies gaze, but she dismissed them with the ease of someone who had regular contact with such people. Instead she now focused her attention on Sir Integra. Her long blond hair was a darker shade than that of the woman who owned the house, she was slightly taller also, and wore heels to accentuate this splint. Her clothes were simple in design dark-wash jeans a black flowing top, trimmed with gold detailing, and a long black coat. Her eyes, on the other hand, were really what captivated her audience. The colour matched perfectly that of the Hellsings heir, but, within them was a kindness and a softness that Seras had never seen in Sir Integras' eyes.

"Hello" Bethany said with a warm smile. Apparently she had been yet to notice the two vampires standing in the shadows, watching her every move. Instead she merely continued to smile at her host who, in return stared back at her, a look of disbelief etched onto her face. The room was engulfed in an uncertain silence.

"Impossible" A voice said from beside Seras. Surprisingly, it had been her master who had spoken first, his eyes were locked onto the girl, he was frozen to the spot with, was that fear? No, it was shock. Maybe? Seras had never seen her master act so strange. Bethany, for having not noticed Alucard and his fledgling, jumped at the sound of his voice and took an apprehensive step backwards.

"Is she of the Hellsing blood?" Integra asked flatly. Her gaze did not leave the girls face. There was no response. "Answer me god-dam-it!"

"Yes…" He said softly, before dissolving into the shadows disappearing from the room. Integra seemed too find this information far more pleasing than the ancient vampire had, and she stepped forward, welcoming Bethany into her home. The conversation continued fairly normally after that, with topics such as the young ladies journey and her shock of having found out she was not alone in the world. Being the only person around who could carry large loads with ease, other than the soldiers, Seras had been 'convinced' to carry all the suitcases from the car up to the room. It surprised her that Bethany neither seemed to mind or even be surprised to find that Seras was a vampire, she expected a little disbelief from the young woman but was merely granted a look that said "oh, I already knew'. Again she was left wondering what kind of person this girl was.

Bethany had settled into her room with comparative ease and, like all others in the house, found it quite acceptable to take rest in the day, especialy after her long journey. This finally allowed Seras to retreat to her own coffin in the basement. Despite having been only in the house for a matter of hours, Bethany had managed to rope the little draculina into perfuming a multitude of tasks for her, such as moving luggage and re-arranging the furniture in the bedroom. She had talked almost constantly to Seras throughout the whole process. This showed the girl to be rather energetic and lighthearted, if not slightly hyper at times. When she had finally been dismissed, Seras found out how extraordinarily tired she had become over the past few hours. By the time she got to her room she was so fatigued that se didn't even notice her master lounging in the corner, until he spoke.

"Having fun with our new master, Police Girl?" He asked, sarcasm dripping from his every word. Seras jumped at least a foot and a half in the air, swearing a blue streak as she went, causing her master to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Such a language was quite unusual in his fledgling.

"Hell, don't do that to me" she yelled at him.

"What?" he asks incredulously

"Sneak up on me!" She looked the vampire up and down, he had resumed his normal air of nonchalant confidence, and was currently leaning against a wall, arms crossed and hat low over his eyes He still wore his red trench coat but his glasses were removed so his scarlet irises could be seen under the brim if his headgear.

"How on earth did I sneak up on you?" Confusion began to mix into his body language. "I am standing here in a bright red trench coat and hat, I'm not even fading into the shadows. How is this sneaking?" Seras considered his point briefly but decided that she was too tired to complete such an exchange with her master.

"Sorry, I just didn't…my bad…" She yawned and stretched her arms out wide in an attempt to keep herself awake. "Was there something you needed?" she asked, it had finally dawned on her that there must have been a reason as to why the master vampire had entered her chambers so close to the morning. Alucard stood and took a step towards Seras before shaking his head. She was clearly exhausted and any answers she may have to his question would probably be entirely unhelpful anyways.

"Nothing that can't wait till tomorrow, good night Seras Victoria" He murmured before fading through the walls into his own room. Not even noticing the use of her real name, by her master, Seras flopped onto her bed, not even bothering to change out of her uniform. She was asleep in seconds.


	3. Hazy Memories

This one is shorter than expected, I humbly apologise, but ce la vie. R&amp;R, I don't own anything, except Bethany, she is mine, Yada yada yada, enjoy!

* * *

Bethany awoke late in the afternoon; silently she stared out of the large windows that covered one side of her room. The entire house was silent; she would have found it quite curious, in house so large and so full of people, if she weren't already aware that two of its residents preferred to keep to hours that were subdued in darkness rather than the daylight hours she used to keep. Knowing neither of the creatures, which dwelled in the basement, would be awake so early in the evening, she decided it was safe enough to go outside and treasure the last of the suns rays before it set over the horizon. Pulling on some skinny jeans, an orange tank top and some converses, she bounded down hallways and stairs until she was outside, standing directly underneath her own window.

She hadn't quite known what to expect when she came to the house earlier that day. Her vast knowledge of the Hellsing organisation and its inhabitants had prepared her to an extent, but to actually be in the same room as the two vampires, that she had read so much about, was something else entirely. Her time she had spent working for the government had, of course, given her experience with un-dead and supernatural creatures, but she hadn't even seen the nosferatu in the hallway. She hadn't even acknowledged their presence until Alucard had spoken. She hadn't seen the ancient vampire since, but the younger one, Seras, was actually quite nice and fairly friendly. Bethany remembered how she had probably exhausted the girl with her own constant and mindless chatter the evening before. She would have to apologise for that. The files that she read on the members if the household, had been accurate, from what she had observed so far, but she had a feeling that there was some things that the government hadn't found out about Hellsings' pet vampires. Who-whatever they were, the pair were powerful creatures, Bethany knew she would definitely need to watch her step. The last thing that she needed was trouble.

The feeling of someone approaching her from behind, however, interrupted her musings. Bethany didn't give away her knowledge of the persons presence immediately, but instead, she kept eyes on the sinking sun. The large orb was of a bright yellow and the surrounding sky was falling into a darkening red. Before the figure could get too close to her, she turned her head to the side and asked suddenly

"May I help you?" Bethany's tone was curt and held an edge of ice the girl hadn't shown when she arrived.

"Interesting…" Integra mumbled. She had merely planned to talk to the young woman to ask her how her stay was but something about the way Bethany had spoken just now made her wary. A feeling of distrust fluttered in the back of her mind and coiled itself around her thoughts. Exactly who was this girl? The stance she held, outwardly confident, but also ready attack at a moments notice. What sort of training had the government put her through? "I'm not here to attack you," She said calmly. Integra lit herself a cigar and watched her guest intently, through thick clouds of smoke. It was about time that she got some answers to exactly whom this girl was.

"If you say so" Bethany replied carefully, she turned her head to look back at the sinking sun.

"Do you mind me asking you some questions?" asked Sir Integra

"Whatever you like…"

"Who are you?" Bethany laughed at strange, borderline absurd, question.

"I am Bethany Pennaguille" She replied manner-of-factly, "Was that not specified in the letter?" Her face had resumed its normal cheerful smile, alerting Integra to speed, by which the girl could cover, or change, her moods

"Interesting name. French. Why did you not take the Hellsing name?" The girls' smile faltered slightly again, and for a brief second she held the expression of a person who had to share a dark secret, or perhaps police officer who was sent to inform a family of a death.

"My father was not my mothers husband," she said flatly. "As a bastard child, my grandfather, your uncle, had me shipped off to another family, never to be a bother again. Never to shame the family name" A deep sigh escaped from her lips and the façade of fake happiness fell from her face like a shattered mask. "After the death of your father and uncle, a plan was formed by my parents, so that I might return to them. When I arrived with my guardian, a nice lady, named Janet I think, I found them dead on their kitchen floor. Gunshot wounds to their heads, they had been murdered by one of my fathers' old enemies. I was two years old at the time. I don't really remember them that much, if I'm honest. However it was decided, at that point in time, that I may be a useful asset to the government. With no family, who knew about me." She gestured briefly to Integra. "I was a perfect candidate to become whatever they wanted. I eventually took my fathers name and I trained so that one day I might take his place in the ranks."

"Which was?" Integra asked, patiently. She understood what it was like to loose people and how it felt to be abandoned, but she still needed answers. Bethany didn't seem to mind the woman's question, in fact she answered almost incautiously.

"Chief Intelligencer and Head Assassin for her majesties government." There was a long pause between the to women. Integra had shock written all over her face whilst Bethany's was blank as stone.

"Why did you tell me all this?"

"You asked" she replied flatly. "And yes, I could have lied, but what would that have got me? Nothing. Except, perhaps your distrust." She shook her head to free herself of such thoughts, glancing up at the last rays of sun she let a genuine smile play on her lips and Bethany once again returned to the happy young lady she first was when she entered the house. "I'll be unpacking in my room if you need me" she sang back to Integra and she walk back inside the house, without an apparent care in the world.


	4. The Garden

Seras tried to listen as carefully as she could, as Integra ran over the new information that Bethany had granted her, however she found it hard to concentrate on the stern, blond woman's words, as a fine layer of smoke seemed to consume all of the space around her and the air in the room seemed warmer and more humid than usual. Perhaps Integra had smoked a whole bunch of cigars just before summoning them all. Glancing, in turn, at her master, Walter and then back to Sir Integra, she noted that none of them were complaining about the strange room temperatures or lack of visibility, not a single window had been opened to relive the conditions. Perhaps this was usual? Gritting her teeth she decided to suck it up and wait for the mini-conference to be finished, soon she go outside and cool off in the sweet night air.

When she was finally released from the choking room, Seras practically sprinted out of the large office doors and all the way through the mansion so she could get outside before she suffocated on the smoke heavy air that had dominated the room and a large amount of the manor tonight. She slowed her pace as she walked along the edge of the garden that bordered the house. The house itself was situated on slightly raised ground, and the grass, which sat behind the old building, sloped downwards steadily and was met by simple, but beautifully maintained garden. In the centre of this was a small clearing, surrounded by low hedges laid out in a circle, which was completely empty except for single oak tree that sat in the middle and housed a mated pair of ravens. Smiling slightly to herself Seras walked towards the old piece of living timber, intent on finding the two creatures. Despite finding such birds ominous and unsettling as a human, Seras had formed an odd attachment to the creatures; perhaps it was because she knew that such superstitions were foolish now. There were much worse things to be afraid of at night than large birds. Normally she would have brought out some food for the pair to feast on, but tonight she would have to put up with just watching them. As soon as she was close enough, she knew that the two birds were home, she could hear the heart beats, see their aura. And somehow she was also aware that they too had had sensed her approach.

"Its alright guys, just me" she chirped happily at the birds. This seemed to comfort the pair as they hopped down from their perch, hidden away by the leaves of the tree, and stood on the ground. Seras' smile grew even wider as she saw the two birds standing on the lawn and tilting their heads to the side expectantly. Light laughter escaped from her lips and filled the air around her as she regarded the animals. "No, sorry I 'aint got anything tonight." Slowly she approached the tree and leaned against the strong trunk. Sighing she relaxed a little as she felt the side effects of the humid room begin to wear off slightly. She wondered why she felt so ill earlier, she didn't think that could happen any more, not now she was a vampire. Perhaps Integra had a new, smokier, cigar, or perhaps they had lit a fire and it had singed a carpet or something in the room. She tilted her head in consideration. She was fairly certain that sir Integra wouldn't change her cigar for hell nor high water, and she hadn't noticed a fire in the room. She didn't even think there was a fireplace in the room. Her musings, however, were interrupted as she felt something brush against her mind, something trying to get into her thoughts. Seras glared at the dark figure standing at the edge of the clearing. "I asked you to stop trying to read my thoughts," she growled at Alucard

"Do you really think that you could stop me if I wanted to?" He chuckled darkly

"Your mental defences my be strong, but I am still your master, I can break them down as though they were as thin as paper. Or have you forgotten that police girl?" He remained still, tilting his head forward so he could see over the tinted lenses of his glasses, and regarded his fledgling with interest. He had Known that there was something not quite right with her in his masters study, especially the way she had bolted out of the room, like she was being chased by a pack of hungry wolves. Seras, who could feel her nausea creeping slowly back up on her, glowered at the floor and hugged her stomach, unable to keep her masters stare.

"No, master, I haven't" she muttered faintly, the words were barely a breath as they left her mouth.

"Seras…"Alucard said, caution coating his words "Why on earth did you run out here?" He slowly approached the woman, ignoring the two birds that escaped back up to their perch in the tree, and stood by her side. He regarded her more closely than he usually did, trying to find an answer from her body language, rather than intruding into her mind and breaking into her private thoughts. Despite his threats to her about how he could control her if as though she were a marionette doll, he respected the fact she wanted to feel as though she had some free will, not just a puppet, and therefore avoided such situations, where mind-reading was deemed necessary, as often as possible. However, he frowned deeply when he saw that her skin was paler than its usual complexion and that fine beads of sweat coated every inch of her exposed flesh. He gradually sat down next to Seras and stared at her without saying a word, quietly noting down, in his mind, everything that was off about his little fledgling.

"Master?" She asked meekly, uncertain about the vampires close proximity and the worried facial expressions that coated his face. The elder vampire said nothing but continued to stare at her face. She blushed profusely and tipped her face forward so that her short hair could hide some of her features in shadow. Despite herself she shivered, the muscles contorting themselves, sending spasms all over her body. Suddenly she felt movement beside her, surprised, she looked up to see her master pull off his large red coat in a single swift movement, before placing the large garment around her shoulders and tenderly wrapping it around her. She felt like she should say something but all she could manage was an unintelligible "eugh" the sound often made by the hideous ghouls she fought for the Hellsing organisation. The very thought of the ghastly beings made her stomach turn somersaults

"Shhh, none of that now" He said calmly, his voice was smooth as he pulled Seras closer to himself, propping her body on his and leaning her head against his chest. He could feel the stiffness in her muscles, only interrupted as she shivered against him. Hugging her closely he asked, as gently as he could, "When did this start?"

"Err, ii-in t-the meeting…I'm fine, honestly master, I'm probably just hungry. This really isn't necessary" Her words escaped in short bursts but despite her protests Seras made no movements away from the strange embrace; in fact she found it quite enjoyable and comforting.

"When _was_ the last time you fed?" asked a concerned voce from behind them. The pair suddenly snapped their heads towards the sound. It surprised them that they hadn't heard the person approaching; even Alucard had been too preoccupied to notice the intruder. They stared at Bethany and she stared right back. Admittedly, Alucard was glaring, but she didn't seem to mind or notice. Embarrassed at having being found in such a position Seras attempted to move away from her master, only to find her attempts thwarted by a strong arm, resting on her shoulder, clamping her in position. Finding that she lacked the energy or strength to try to fight such a gesture, she merely settled for answering the girls' question.

"Last night…" Seras murmured. She regarded the human briefly, her orange tank top would have been horrific on anyone else, but somehow the colour worked on her and flattered her pale skin tone well.

"Can you stand?" Bethany asked and began to approach the fledgling only to be growled by the fuming elder vampire, who was currently holding Seras. She stopped and held her hands up in mock submission, showing she meant no harm. "Alright, I get it, no touchy. I just want to help." She could contain the small amount of amusement in her voice when seeing Alucard act so protectively. Letting her arms rest by her side, she turned her head back to the female vampire. "Seras, okay, I know you don't know me very well, if at all, but your going to have to trust me. Can you do that?" There was a brief pause before the vampire nodded. "Good, now can you tell me what happened?"

Seras began to recite how she had felt earlier that night and how she had been so exhausted lately. Barely making it to her coffin before she passed out from fatigue. She kept her eyes on the ground in front of her, too ashamed to see her masters' expression as she confessed her newfound weakness. She felt even more useless than she usually did. It was just another thing for her master to be ashamed of her for. Despite her confessions, though, Alucard still held her to his side and comforted her when the spasms ricocheted through her muscles.

"Seras, love, I think you need to sleep" Bethany concurred after considering the facts she had been presented with. Her voice was sweet and, despite the fact that she was a good few years younger than the fledgling, took on a motherly tone when speaking. When no movement was made she glared at he elder vampire and said firmly, "She NEEDS to sleep. Help her up, now" Whether it was the Hellsing blood that ran through the young woman's veins or the fact that the young girl sounded like the formidable Integra, that made Alucard move, Bethany's command was soon in action. With some help from her master, Seras was now standing on her own two feet. The large red coat wrapped around her shoulders looked more like a long cape, as it dragged along the ground, but no one said anything. As the trio made their way back to the house, Seras had barely made it three steps before she collapsed to her knees and promptly threw up the contents of her stomach that, at this point in time, consisted of black blood and sickly coloured bile. Seras suddenly felt exhausted as she collapsed onto her side and watched as her vision became blurry and the world swirled in different colours before her eyes. The last thing she saw was her masters tall form rushing over to her side and then black spots filled her vision, blocking her view of him, trapping her inside a deep sleep.


	5. Preparations

Bethany watched wide-eyed as Seras crumpled on the ground, a black pool of liquid slowly soaking into the ground around her. Alucard was at the fledgling's side in an instant holding her face tenderly and asking her to wake up. The movement was so unlike what she had expected from the old creature. It was as if he genuinely cared for the girl. He looked so human.

"What is wrong with her?" he asked, his voice as cold as ice and dangerously sharp. Snapping back to attention, Bethany looked at the horizon as was pleased to see the night was still young.

"Take her inside, down to the basement. Quick" without skipping a beat the elder vampire scooped the little draculina up in his arms and made his way inside with supernatural speed Bethany could never hope to posses and couldn't keep up with, even when she was sprinting. She stopped when she reached the grand stairs and motioned for the vampire to continue. "I'll be down as soon as I can, I just need to get some things to help her." Not waiting to hear a reply she bolted up the stairs and into her room. Foraging around in her bags she soon fond what she was looking for. A brief wave of relief washed over her as her fingers brushed over the box in the bottom of one her suitcases. The box was about the size of a small microwave, but covered in dark leather with pale stitching over the corners. The handle was made of an ebony coloured crystal; welded onto the lid with fine, detailed silver. Not having time to regard the box intently she picked up her burden, noting that it probably weighed twice as much as a microwave, also taking a lighter but similar box as well. The second box gave of a faint smell of herbs, hinting at what may be on the inside the inside. She span around only to find Walter, who wore a slightly bemused expression, blocking her doorway

"Is something wrong Miss Pennaguille? He asked

"Ah! Walter!" she cried with a slight amount of reprieve. "You're just the man I was looking for. Get me a large amount of clean towels. a big pot full of some freshly boiled water, three of Seras' full blood packs, and one empty one if possible?" She listed all the items she could think of that the butler could bring, that she may need. Not wanting to waste time she pushed past the elderly retainer and began to sprint down the hallway

"Why?" the mans words halted her in her tracks as she realised that he may need some more information if he were to be of any use.

"Seras has taken seriously ill and I believe it may be fatal, if we do not take action post-haste she may die… Bring what you can down to the basement, and be quick!" she yelled before dashing of downstairs to help the young vampire, hoping she wasn't too late.

* * *

Not so long of a chapter, But hey at least there is one! Hehe... I'm not rubbish at keeping up with these things at all...

Anyhooo, Review if you please, I'd probs upload more if I knew what you think, and there will hopefully be more AxS later on. I like drama, what can I say?


	6. A New Experience

Seras swam in the darkness, she allowed it to consume her, she breathed in and it absorbed into her lungs. She no longer quite knew where she ended and the shadows began.

'Am I dead?' she wondered. She felt it to be a little bit disappointing to be death, or perhaps this was her punishment for choosing to become a demon. A monster. She had eternity alone, with nothing but darkness and shadows to consume her. She felt something brush her arm, whipping her head to the side; she tried to catch a glimpse of what was in the space with her. She spun round in circles only to find that she surrounded by darkness, all alone with her wild thoughts.

"Hello? I-is anyone there?" her voice meek and childish. She felt a sudden caving for her master's presence; Seras let her mind barriers drop only to find more darkness. She couldn't find him. Tears rolled down her cheeks, the crimson liquid that was squeezed from her eyes pooled on the floor, and left stains on her ivory toned skin. Where in hell was she? "Master?!" her voice was pained and shrill as she cried out. The panic grew in her stomach and wrapped itself around her whole body, her legs collapsed beneath her and she lay on the ground, gasping for air, spasms rocketing through her limbs.

…

Alucard placed his fledgling onto her bed and watched as fat crimson tears rolled down her cheeks, glimmering ruby droplets staining her ivory skin. He wiped some of them away with his gloved hands. The sight angered him, but the reason for this emotion eluded him. He wasn't angry with her, no, some other emotion stirred deep within his dark soul at the sight of his Seras. But he was hesitant to put a name to that one as well. It was at this time that the young human girl crashed through the door, an odd pair of boxes in her hands.

"Has her condition changed?" She asked breathlessly, putting the luggage on the large table in the centre of the room. As she walked her feet made a smacking noise on the cold stone floor. In her rush to get to the draculina she had discarded her heels and had run down to the basement in bare feet.

"She's crying…" Alucard watched as Bethany frowned and walked over to Seras, inspecting the rivulets of blood falling from the vampiress' closed eyes and onto the white linen of the pillow and sheets, spreading out like cheap ink on fibrous paper.

"That _is _odd," she murmured. Walking back over to he boxes, she produced a key from inside her pocket and unlocked them both. Pulling open the lids revealed that one was heavily similar to an old-fashioned toolbox, inside it carried an assortment of herbs, spices and other organic supplies, some were contained in glass vials, whilst others were dried and tied together with green string. The smell was incredibly pungent, but didn't seem to bother the young girl. The other, which was clearly heavier by the way she had struggled with it, opened to reveal a small camping stove, two large canisters of some flammable gas, matches and a small cauldron. After a brief moment the girl produced a tiny spoon and vial, from the first box, and scooped one of Seras' tears into the vial, corking it and placing it carefully back in the box.

"Why did you do that?" Alucard asked his curiosity was peeked by the girls' odd behaviour, and her curious equipment. What did she want with Seras' tears?

"Later" Bethany murmured. Ignoring the vampires' gruff tone she pulled out five different herbs, and placed them down on the table. She began to set up the cauldron, but didn't light the fire. She was still to confirm her diagnosis.

"Do you and Seras, drink the same blood?" She asked the elder vampire

"No" he replied briskly. He watched the girl with distrust. "We have certain blood packs each, why do _you_ want to know **_witch_**? He spat the accusatory word at her. He had no particular problem with her being a witch; after all she was still less tainted than he, however he did have a problem with not realising it sooner.

"Congrats, what got you to that conclusion? Was it my charming personality or the mini cauldron" Bethany replied, her voice laced with irritation and sarcasm. She didn't have time to spar with him right now. Taking a deep breath she tried a different avenue of interrogation. "I am trying to diagnose her, to see if I can help. I am currently at five theories, four of which I can help with. Your co-operation is essential." She held up her hand, fingers and thumb extended, "Theory one is that her blood has been tampered with, entirely possible If you drink separate blood and your not feeling any ill effects,' she ticked of her thumb "Theory two and three are different infections she may have encountered in the outside world, Normally I would rule these out due to her vampirism, but she is still young for your kind, and it is not unheard of" two more fingers went down " number four is that she is rejecting your blood, and is dying, really dying. I can't help her with that one…"

"And the fifth?" Alucard asked. He had long since tuned away from the young girl and looked down at his Seras.

"She is experiencing her first ever vampire mating season…" Bethany replied bluntly, pushing her last finger down. The girl would never have admitted it but she felt a tiny amount of embarrassment creep into her composure, although she managed to prevent herself from blushing too profusely. Bethany, herself, hadn't dealt with a case such as this before, though she had studied what little articles there were on the subject intently. Her time working for the government had given her ample opportunities to study remedies in ancient libraries. Much of her time had been spent on poisons or studying ancient herbalists, but occasionally she had found an interesting document on a supernatural creature. Now she was grateful for her extra reading, even if her teacher of the time was not.

She had assumed that the elder vampire would have known something about this or at least expected such a thing, but from his weighty expression it was clear Alucard was just as surprised as she.

It was at this point the butler opened the door, and wheeled in tea tray full of items Bethany had requested. It took only a brief moment for him to establish that he had interrupted an important conversation, and just before he was about to leave the room the vampiress began to scream, her muscles twitching, causing her limbs to flail. With a sharp tone Bethany ordered Alucard to pin the woman down to prevent her from breaking any of her bones or causing herself serious injury.

With the speed of someone who was used to dealing with high-stress situations, the young woman began her procedure. The hot water was poured into the cauldron and the fire lit beneath it to keep it hot, Quickly the herbs Bethany had set aside were added to the pot, all the while Seras screamed in pain.

"Has she been on any missions, without Alucard, within the past three days?" The young girl asked the room, straining to b heard over the animalistic yell of the vampire. She had set Walter to work extracting whatever blood he could from Seras' blood bags, both the full and empty ones, which the retainer had to retrieve from the bins.

"No," the retainer replied, an admirable level of calm in his voice, "Miss Victoria has not been on any missions for over a week, nor has she been training the soldiers."

"Well that rules out an infection from outside. How's the blood coming along?" Walter produced four vials of blood, three from previously unopened bags and one from the remains of Seras' previous meal. Bethany took them with a look of appreciation to the retainer. She dug through her box of herbs until she produced a small bag of tiny purple crystals. Taking a pinch of the crystals, she added them to the blood Walter had collected. In each vial the blood remained a deep red before slowly turning to a coral colour. "And _that_ rules out blood poisoning..." She muttered.

Bethany looked down at her pot of boiling herbs and water, the liquid had become a deep scarlet and the rising bubbles created thick red foam across the top. With a great deal of skill, the young witch managed to get the crimson foam into an injection needle. Seras had finally stopped struggling against her master, and instead was back to crying, soaking her sheets with precious blood.

Walking over to Seras, Bethany paused for a moment, before handing the needle to Alucard, who was still sat beside his fledgling. A cold look coated his face, it hinted at the cruel emotions hidden beneath it.

"It needs to go into her heart, through the breast plate" Bethany said motioning to her own heart as an indicator of where it needed to go. "I don't have the strength to do it so you'll have to. When she wakes up it will be sudden and she'll most likely sit up very quickly and head-butt you. Like an adrenaline shot… Just be prepared"

The No-Life-King took the needle and glanced down at his Seras, mumbling

"A new experience for the both of us it seems…" before raising his arm and plunging the silver needle deep into her chest.


	7. Awakening

Hey! Another chapter! Wow, if i keep posting semi-regularly maybe people will actually read this. Anyhooo, as usual I don't own anything, unfortunately, but if you want to please leave a review as I'm not sure if y'all are enjoying this or how I can improve it. I may need help with this one... But whatev's enjoy!

Seras screamed as the spasms rocketed through her body, leaving searing hot pain wherever they travelled. The darkness that surrounded her, flooded down her throat, drowning her in shadows and gloom. Her screams didn't even reach her own ears, adding to her terror.

Eventually the pain subsided and she was able to breathe again. A strange occurrence, as breathing hadn't been essential, in any shape or form, since she became a creature of the night. Something was most assuredly wrong. And it wasn't just her isolation in the endless darkness. The air was thick and heavy, suffocating her in a smoke that had coated the mansion that night.

'Again?" she murmured, "Where exactly am I?" Seras' voice echoed around her, so clear that she was sure the sound could be heard for miles, but it was only met with silence.

She looked down at her feet only to see them bare, the normal combat boots removed in place of well manicure toes, and herself wearing a dove-white dress, reaching just above the knee and hanging by thin straps from her shoulders It hung simply, and had a cherry coloured ribbon tied under the bust as a high waistline to accentuate her curves. Her skin was no longer as pale as she had become accustomed to; it carried a warmth and glow Seras hadn't had for many years, not since her transformation.

Taking a few steps forwards Seras began to hear muffled voices from the darkness ahead; it was like listening to a conversation through a wall or from a long distance. The occasional word or phrase was obtainable, but the discussion was just too far to truly make any sense of the matter. A jumble of tones spoke at once, the closer she got the more muddled they became, and trying to listen carefully only made the sound distort and buzz, like listing to a radio with bad signal on a volume five settings too high. The sound burnt in her head and made her ears ring. Eventually it became so unbearable that Seras turned away in disgust, only to find a large oak door in front of her, a breath away from her nose. The sounds began to become clearer and quieter and Seras was almost certain she recognised them. The portal seemed familiar, but the sight of it stirred panic within her. Her hands shook as she reached out and pushed the door open. The smallest crack had ushered a torrent of light into the consuming darkness and Seras had to blink away the tears in her eyes.

Pressing her body against the wood she peered through the crack she had created and stared at what lurked on the other side. The familiar surroundings filled her heart with horror and the dreadful noises sparked nightmarish memories in her mind. It was her home, from when she was a child. The room before her was a lounge she had played in as a toddler, had Christmas parties in and where she had watched her parents die before her eyes as armed thugs broke into their home. The darkness she stood in was no longer vast and empty, but small and filled with coats and shoes. She was hiding in the closet. Outside, on the streets below, a single car drove past lighting up the room for a single moment. Seras could smell the people approaching. She could smell their fear. She knew exactly where she was. Tonight was the night her parents died.

"No…" Seras whispered "I don't want to see them go, don't make me watch my parents die!" She yelled the last part, but it fell on deaf ears, consumed by the silence. There was no one to save her from her memories. She watched in agony as her parents suddenly burst into the room, slamming the large door behind them. Her mother wore a face coated with apprehension and her father carried a gun and an expression of resolve. Her mother's arms cradled a small figure. It was a young Seras, no more than seven years of age, her eyes wide with confusion and fright. Her mother ran over to the closet and swung open the door. From her position, inside the cabinet, Seras saw her mother's full appearance, She wore a long skirt, the rim tattered and torn, where she had most likely trod on the edge and ripped the hem. Her figure was much like that of Seras', but her hair was longer and had a paler tone to it than her daughters did. Her mother also showed no recognition, nor realisation, of the woman that stood in her repository. She placed the young child beside Seras, in the closet, kissing her forehead and saying,

"There now, just stay in the closet and don't make a sound, promise me. Don't come out for anything, Mummy loves you, okay?" The expression on her face was a mixture of terror and love, Seras managed to see a single crystal tear stream down her mothers face before the wooden doors slammed shut, enclosing her and her younger self in darkness.

The young Seras curled up in a ball and cried silently, she evidently couldn't see the woman standing beside her in the closet, and neither had anyone outside noticed her presence. Seras was a ghost in her own memories. Silence filled the small space and the young girl unfurled herself so she could open the door a crack to see her parents huddled together in the centre of the room.

"No! Don't look!" Seras cried out, crimson tears caressed her features and stained her dove-white dress. But the young girl couldn't hear her, and wouldn't listen, Seras was frozen to the spot, for the second time in her life she was hiding in the closet as three men smashed through the door and shot her father through the head. The sound was loud enough to nearly burst her eardrums, and Seras cried in pain as her fathers brains painted the walls with a deep wine colour. Seras tried to jump out the closet to attack the men slaughtering her family, but the slabs of oak refused to budge. Seras' cries became higher pitched and more anguished but her yelling and beatings of the door did nothing to help the plights of her family.

The young girl beside her took a sharp breath but remained quiet, true to her mothers promise, pained teas streaking her youthful face. She watched as her mother was also executed, two shots to the stomach crippled the woman and brought her to her knees, and the final shot brought her head clean off. It was this that finally made the young girl snap. She burst out from her hiding spot, wailing for her mother to come back to her. The two men, startled by the sound, shot the closet, missing the young girl by a mile, as she ran out towards her dead parents. The bullet, whilst missing her younger self, hit Seas right in the chest, leaving a gaping hole where her heart would have been. Blood streamed from the corner of her mouth and seeped into the white dress. The ribbons cherry red began to soak into the rest of the garment, until the whole thing was stained blood red. Seras fell backwards, seemingly in slow motion, as the scene before her almost stopped and the fabric she wore pillowed out softly around her. The darkness had once again become endless shadows behind her. A fleeting thought passed through her mind, that, even as a policewoman, an agent of Hellsing, an elite vampire, she still wasn't able to save her parents.

The vision of that night faded into the distance, along with her thoughts of it, and suddenly walls began to spring up around her, Building themselves brick by brick to meet a detailed, arched wooden ceiling. Seras landed roughly on a hard stone floor, the wind knocked out of her as she landed on her back. A large glass window, to her left, allowed her to see the blood red sky and a large sallow moon.

Approaching her was a tall, but familiar, dark figure, he was wearing a large red coat, caught by some unnoticed breeze, and his red eyes were guarded by thick, dark lenses. His white gloves covered long elegant fingers, that caressed the large gun in his hands.

"Master…" Seras strained, her voice barely even making a sound, cracking and fracturing as it escaped her lips. She looked up at the man, no, not a man. He wasn't human.

She decided, in that moment, if she were going to truly die, she would get an answer to a question she had always wanted to know. Ever since she had first awoken as an un-dead monster.

"W-why…why did you decide… to save m-me?" Her words were sobs as her lifeblood seeped out of her and onto the polished stone below her. Alucard leaned in close; a playful, yet sinister, smile covered his features. He tucked the gun into an unseen pocket a removed his glasses so their eyes could meet. His features here perfectly chiselled, and angelically composed. His face was centimetres from hers; his lips kissing her skin as he whispered,

"A new experience for both of us it seems…my police girl…" before plunging his fangs into her neck and suddenly pain coursed through her veins, white consuming her vision. The last thing she saw was two burgundy eyes, staring into her own, before there was nothing but a bright white light, consuming her vision and dragging her way from him.


	8. Explanations

Whoop whoop, another chapter! Thanks for reading and for the review, i know it was only one, but it was rely nice and it made me happy. Id love to hear more from you so please review. Remember i own nothing but my own characters and ideas, mild language and blood. I apologise for spelling mistakes and hope you enjoy! :)

Seras' eyes snapped open, her bright crimson irises sparking with pain. She sat up quickly; fearing the vision of her parent's death would appear again. She couldn't do it; she needed to get away. The world around her was nothing but a blur of colour, shapes smudging together, distorting her vision. She didn't see that her master's form, that had been bent over her whilst she slept, until their heads smashed together with a loud crunch. She was pushed backwards by the impact and landed heavily on the soft pillows and sheets below her, groaning in pain as her skull tried to heal itself. She tried to speak but a throbbing pain in her chest stole her words. Tears began to well in her eyes.

Letting her vision adjust, and blinking away the tears, Seras eventually managed to see the she was no longer in her dreams, or the spot in the garden where she had fallen, but in her room, in the basement, of the Hellsing manor. From her current position Alucard took up a large amount of her view, but she could just about see the two figures that stood behind him over his shoulder. Both Walter and Bethany looked as though they had just witnessed something of great horror, and interest. Seras exactly wasn't sure but she could have sworn she saw a vague twinkle amusement in the teen's eyes.

Turning her attention back to her master she saw him, sat on the bed, beside her, rubbing his forehead, a pained expression on his face. Seras wasn't sure, but she was almost certain that there was a small dent in his head, but it was gone so quickly she couldn't be sure. The thought of her actually managing to damage Alucard was strangely appealing.

He wasn't wearing his coat, hat or glasses, and a quick survey around the room saw that they had been thrown into the corner, scrunched up in rather clumsy and unceremonious manner. The young draculina found this exceedingly bizarre, as her master very rarely let his appearance seem so haggard, even when he was shot to pieces in battle he always regenerated them to an immaculate standard afterwards.

"Are you okay master? Is something wrong?" For that, Seras received a look of pure astonishment from every member of the room. Not a single one of them made a sound in response, not even Alucard, who, for once, had been silenced by his little fledgling. Eventually it was Bethany who spoke first, although her voice was rather constricted and a little high pitched.

"Um, love, you may want to, umm…look…down…" The sentence escaped in staccato breaths, two words at a time. Did the vampire really not realise her current situation, could she not feel the pain? Astonishing, Bethany would have to test the limits of this one-day. Seras raised an eyebrow at the girl and began to let a small smile tug at her lips.

"Honestly I'm fine, just a passing illness, I'll be just fiiiiiinnee!" Seras eyes had eventually been pointed down only to find an incredible large needle skewering her left breast. She couldn't help it. She screamed.

"WHAT THE EVERLOVING CRAP IS THAT!? WHY IS THERE A NEEDLE STICKING OUT MY CHEST!?" her voice was panicked and she began to rise again but her masters hands pinned her firmly down to the bed. She struggled against his grip but he didn't let go until she had finally stopped being squirming and calmed down. After a while the room was filled with quiet as Seras took a moment to process the fact that a needle the size of her head was currently sticking itself into her heart.

"Can you take it out, or is it there for a reason?" she asked, surprisingly calmly. She looked over to Alucard who murmured an apology before reaching towards the needle. Seras blushed a little at the thought of her masters hand so close to her, but such thoughts were soon overridden by the pain of the needle being removed. He had tried to perform the action as quickly as possible, but there was only so much he could do as the silver spine was pulled from her flesh. Seras swallowed the scream that built up inside her, a small part of her mind reflecting on her first day where she had awoken to discover her newly found vampirism. She had screamed and yelled in fear when she found herself still 'alive' after being shot. But in the doorway had stood the grand Sir Integra giving her a disapproving look, her long, pale blond hair framing her harsh icy-blue eyes. With a tone as smooth as velvet she had stated such behaviour was unbecoming of a British vampiress, especially one under the employ of the Hellsing organisation. Seras had been so shocked by the woman's sharp words she had shut up immediately. She smiled meekly to herself; perhaps her time in Hellsing as a soldier of the night was paying off after all. Perhaps she was becoming a stronger person.

"How do you feel, Miss Victoria?" It was Walter who had asked, pulling the draculina out of her reverie. He had regained his usual composure and was busy helping Bethany put what looked like a cauldron inside a large box. The young girl in question had her back to Seras, and was quickly bustling backwards and forwards, humming a light tune under her breath that Seras was sure was from snow white and the seven dwarves.

"I'm better now, thank-you Walter. A little tired though." Seras waited silently as the room became a small hive of activity; Alucard had returned the injection needle to the young witch, neatly piled his clothes on the cramped table, and had then returned to sit on the bed, next to his fledgling. Bethany and Walter seemed to be wrestling to fit all of the odd assortments of items into the two boxes on the table. When they had eventually cleared up, the elderly retainer retreated from the room, bowing to both the young heiress and vampires before leaving.

"I'm sorry we had to stick a needle in your chest Seras…" The teen said she had turned to face them now, her face showing equal parts apology and kindness. She was afraid of the conversation that she knew was looming on the horizon. She never had been very good at bedside manner; she always ended up being either to informal or blunt.

"Um, yeah. Its fine, I guess. But why, exactly did you do that? I mean, how did I get down here?" Seras' tone was inquisitive as she looked between her master and the young girl, trying to find answers in their features. Her masters' face was blank, as usual, and far too close for comfort, so she turned to the heiress instead. The girl had a slight blush to her cheeks, but still managed to keep eye contact with her. She was sat on the table, her bare feet swinging off the edge they looked red and sore. The running around on hard stone, with no cushioning, had hurt them severely and in her hurry to complete her work she had managed to stub her toe on a table leg. The girl, however, began to speak, ignoring the pain she must have been in.

"Well, after you fainted out on the lawn, Alucard brought you down here. That answers the latter of your questions. As for the other, I got him to inject you in the heart with the vampiric equivalent of adrenaline, super adrenaline if you wish. Your vital functions were shutting down, and you were about to enter into a coma. The super adrenaline was there to put an 'oomph' back into your system, waking you up." She wiggled her fingers to emphasise her point.

"Is 'oomph' a technical term, witch?" Alucard asked sarcastically, a cruel smile snaking across his lips.

"Oh shut it, you were just as worried as the rest of us" Bethany replied snidely. The elder vampire sniffed the air in displeasure, but didn't retort.

"Okay…" Seras Murmured not bothering to ask about why her master head decided to call Bethany a witch "but why was I going into a coma?"

"Well, you see, that's where I was confused." The girl tilted her head to the side slightly in playful thought "You see you're still really young for a vampiress, so didn't think this would affect you for a good quarter centaury yet…and I also expected you master to be able to cope with the situation better" Bethany gave a pointed look to Alucard who hissed under his breath and glared at the heiress. "Anyways, it would appear that you have entered you first vampiric mating season. From what information I have gathered it affects different vamps at different times. It's a bit like a cat in heat, essentially. Am I correct Alucard?"

"Offensive comparison aside, yes, you are. Normally females of our kind will become stronger in this time, making them more able to chose a suitable mate and consume those she deems unfit." Seras' face paled, and she looked as though she may faint again. Bethany, noting the horrified look on the woman's face, quickly added

"She doesn't always do that, only if he is persistent and she doesn't wish him as her partner. And even then she may choose to spare him"

"But most do" Alucard added bluntly, much to Bethany's annoyance. She was trying to be helpful and there he was being as comforting as demented teddy bear.

"But anyways," Said Bethany, keen to change the subject "your body is very young and wasn't able to handle to change decidedly well. I hear that the first transition is the worst, and even more constricting if the vampiress still have a master." She gestured to the dark figure sitting beside Seras with a lazy flip of her hand

"Why'd it happen so early for me?"

"Well my guess is the fact that your master is from has some majorly, incredibly strong blood, these sort of things often revert back to the makers bloodline. Seeing as it is so pure, untainted and powerful, it would have sparked the transition earlier than most." Bethany smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling with admiration and said, "It's amazing you even survived, I thought for sure you'd die. For real this time." The girl's chirpiness was odd and unsettling, completely contrasting her previously comforting composure, even Alucard wore a slightly uncomfortable frown.

"One more question." Seras asked nervously

"Shoot"

"Why do you have a cauldron in a box?" Bethany cringed slightly and scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Yeaahhh, about that…Look I'm just going to say it, I practice natural magic and herbal remedies. I'm a witch, of sorts. I was hoping to keep it a secret for a bit, so you wouldn't have such a problem trusting me, but that plan didn't exactly work out…hehe…" Bethany shrugged of the thought. "Now I'm going to have to explain myself to Integra, fan-fucking-tastick, I mean, its not like I'm in a Covent or worship Satan, I just dabble in the arts is all. That's not so bad, is it?" The two vampires blinked at her, barely able to keep up with her rapid speech.

Sighing the young girl hopped down and winced as her sore feet felt the sudden pressure of having to stand. "Well, I suggest you sleep for now, we can continue this conversation in more detail when you've rested, its nearly sunrise now anyways." She dragged to two boxes of the table and padded over to the open door way and walking through. The two vampires listened together as the slap of bare feet of stone floors faded into the distance and disappeared up the stairs and behind the basement door.


	9. An Invitation

Woo! Another chapter. Its been a while, so, sorry. Please read and review, i'd love to know what you think about this. Sorry for any spelling mistakes,, Idont own helloing or any of the characters from within it. Enjoy!

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Seras watched as Alucard stood and poured an open blood pack into a porcelain bowl, the crimson liquid falling in cascades and swirling as it hit the bottom of the container. He sat casually at the table, his feet propped up on the surface, and his slender frame seated in one of the more throne-like chairs. He drank from the bowl, tipping his head back and letting the liquid pour down his throat, a teardrop of crimson liquid escaping his lips and running down jaw and onto his throat. Seras watched, hunger growing inside her. When he had finished he turned to smile wickedly at his fledgling. Their eyes met and Seras dug her nails into her sheets and fought to keep her self from jumping on her master and lapping up the red nectar that was escaping his lips.

"Hungry, my kitten?" He chuckled softly as Seras shuddered at his use of her old pet name, but nodded anyways. "Not surprised, you lost a lot of blood tonight" He gently motioned to Seras, whose appearance was rather shabby. Brown blood stained her uniform and hair, from her tears and vomit. The chest wound she had received had taken its time to close and so it had allowed blood to pump its way to the surface and stain the top of her dress. The sheets beneath her had absorbed horrific amounts of red liquid, and she sure that she would have most certainly have ruined the mattress that lay beneath them. Seras would have blushed, if she had the blood to spare. No doubt the entire ensemble would have to be replaced, and she knew that wouldn't be cheep. If she had been paid a salary, it would have taken a serious beating. She watched as her master wiped away the escaped blood from his chin and refilled the bowl with blood picking up a spoon as well, rolling the cutlery between his slender fingers. He came and sat on the bed by her side, filled the spoon, and held the food out to her.

"Master, I can eat perfectly well on my own." She protested, _I am not an invalid!_ She thought

"No, you can't. Look at your hands, police girl, they're shaking terribly. I doubt you could even hold the spoon without spilling half of what it contained, never mind the trouble you'd have with the bowl." His tone was friendly but carried an air of exasperation with it as well. Seras pouted in childish displeasure but allowed her master to help her to eat, without any further objection.

When the last drops of the liquid had been drained he placed the bowl on her bedside table, a spindly little thing that looked so flimsy that it may collapse if even the slightest stress was put upon it. It was of a French design with curving legs, painted white, and a perfectly circular glass top. Seras had managed to acquire the item whilst on a mission, her master had been confused with by her want to bring the piece of furniture home, but it had reminded Seras of the one she had owned as human, whilst she was still an official police girl. Sir Integra hadn't cared when she had brought it home, and had allowed the little vampire had spend her free time repainting and replacing parts of the table that had become damaged. It had made her feel more at home, I her room, and had even improved her mood on particularly trying days. Sir Integra figured it was better Seras spent her energy on more docile tasks than having her mope around or tormenting the soldiers as Alucard so often did.

"You should rest now," He suggested "the sun is beginning to rise and you will need your energy now more than ever." Seras nodded meekly, and tried to shift into a more comfortable sleeping position, only to find that blood she had lost had dried into her clothes and sheets, sticking her in place.

"Ewww, gross" She murmured, slowly peeling herself off of the ruined overlay. Her clothing and hair were matted and her bed was ruined. Great. She shook her head and stalked over to her wardrobe, first on the agenda was a shower and a change of clothes. Ignoring her mild headache Seras began rummaging through the small options of clothes that she had. Eventually deciding on ebony coloured nightie and some simple underwear Seras began the search for a towel. The garment was fairly thick and went down to he knees, but it hung nicely and was suitably modest that she didn't feel embarrassed about owning such a thing.

Her Master had returned to his seat at the table and was busy turning his coat, hat and glasses into shadows, which disappeared into the corners of the room, before turning back to his fledgling. He had noticed the abominable state of her coffin and had made a decision.

"Police girl, you shall sleep in my coffin till yours is adequately refurbished" Seras stopped and stiffened, and suddenly she felt very exposed. Her mind raced with all the possible implications of such an offer. Was her master really inviting her to share his coffin? Did that mean something more, or was he merely being considerate? She was thankful that her mind barrier had returned or her master may have heard some rather private thoughts she wasn't too keen for him to know, like how that sentence filled her with both immeasurable apprehension and pleasure. Or how she had been waiting for him to speak such words to her for longer than she cared to acknowledge. Unable to form a response, however, she merely stared at him eyes wide looking awfully surprised and a little scared.

"I won't be joining you, if you were worried about having to sleep next to me…" he continued, Seras blushed profusely and bowed her head in thanks. Had he somehow been able to read her thoughts? She chided herself internally, it was perfectly possible he knew what she was thinking, and he was her master after all. He himself had even stated that she couldn't keep him out if he chose to enter her mind. But she hadn't felt him try this time, perhaps he hadn't. "…I will be sleeping in my throne instead, keeping watch" his tone carried a slight, but sudden irritation.

"Keeping watch…?" She asked, wondering why he would do such a thing, and why he was suddenly so angry. She was thankful of his offer, and wanted him to know how much she appreciated it. Without his coffin she didn't know of anywhere else that was both safe and clean for her to sleep in. Where else was there? The cold, stone, floor? That was just as much out of the question as her grubby bed was; she still wanted dignity when she woke up. Seras wondered for a moment what her master's bed would actually be like. She had entered the room before, but only once. It had been extremely dark and, even as vampire, all she had been able to see was a large wooden chair that Alucard and the rest of the Hellsing household had taken to calling his 'throne'. Seras Had thought it an over glorification for such a piece of furniture, but she wasn't about to bruise his ego without good reason.

"I'll be keeping watch in-case your condition worsens, again" The elder vampire spoke again diverting his fledgling's attention back to him. He held up a second vial, similar to the one that had stuck into her chest, only this one was filled with a dark crimson liquid. Seras presumed that to be more of the super adrenaline, and noted how it reminded her of raspberry jam. "I'll wait for you to shower and change here" He grumbled, turning his face to the wall, clearly finished speaking. Seras, rolling her eyes at her master's strange behaviour, made her way towards the door of her room intent on scrubbing the grime of the night off of her person.


	10. God of the underworld

Another chapter! Ill be honest, its been sitting in the works for a while, as have the chapter before and after this, but I'm happy to finally upload this one. Read and review, id be happy to hear what you think, still learning and all. I own nothing, enjoy!

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On her way out to the shower Seras grabbed a large towel and an oversized hoodie to wear over her pyjamas. Despite being a vampire she still felt the cold down in the basement and the nightdress would be less than helpful in battling such an offense. She inwardly apologised to Walter as she made her way to the bathroom, the towel was of an astonishing white and luxuriously fluffy. She had protested in the past to the retainer when being given such items, as she often ended up staining them with blood or grime. Nevertheless he had repeatedly refused to give her different items, saying that 'no one, Miss Victoria, should have the displeasures of using less than splendid linen, not even vampires.' This did little to comfort Seras, who only felt guilty when she handed him the ruined towels, knowing how hard the stains must be to remove.

She looked down at her uniform and sighed. It too was in a state of disrepair and would need replacing; if only she could regenerate her clothing like her master then perhaps she wouldn't have this problem. Sighing in frustration she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

The large space was strangely modern in comparison to the corridor and the rest of the basement. Clearly refurbished recently, it was tiled with large squares of dark marble on the floor, and the walls were painted obsidian. It was a long rectangular space, with the door in the centre of one wall and the room stretching out either side of it. Seras had been told that it was for the exclusive use of the vampires and she would never see any humans in here, except perhaps Walter who had to clean it.

Opposite the door was a huge floor to ceiling mirror with two sinks in font of it that hung off of the wall. To either side of those were small cupboards, about the size of a mini fridge, each holding different items. Seras used the one on the right, and she presumed the one on the left belonged to Alucard. One time, when she had been especially curious, she had poked about through the draws, only to find it mostly empty, bar a few cleaning supplies, evidently Walters, an unbranded shampoo bottle and a locked, wooden, box. Unwilling to interfere with her masters' privacy, any more than she already had, Seras had left the cabinet, and the locked box, alone after that.

Hers, in contrast, was full of various top brand creams, and soaps. Despite being a vampire Seras still enjoyed her baths and showers and had all the appropriate accompaniments for both. A whole shelf was dedicated to products from Lush and another from a local herbalist who supplied her with essential oils to help healing processes. Sears, personally, wasn't sure of the validity of such claims, but they smelt nice and sweet and helped her relax after particularly hectic nights, and this certainly classed as a hectic night. Placing her clothes on top of the cabinet, Seras looked down either end of the room, she was severely tempted by the enormous bath at one end of the room, but she'd spend hours waiting for it to fill and she'd only end up sitting in a pool of her own watery blood anyways. Sighing she grabbed a large bottle of vanilla smelling soap and a loofah, before padding over to the shower. The walk-in shower was also unnecessarily enormous and sleek, with a large circular showerhead connected to the ceiling. The controls were decidedly space age and had taken a full half-hour to understand when it had first been installed.

Stripping off her ruined clothes Seras jumped in, turned it on, and watched as the hot water and steam from the shower fogged up the gigantic pane of glass. Seras was surrounded in fog and darkness, and suddenly felt like she was back in her dream. She shook off her panic and began scrubbing the dirt and blood out of her hair.

"This is not the time to have a breakdown Seras, you may not be clothed but that is no reason to start being emotional!" she chided herself, but a little voice in the back of her head kept telling her that it was okay to cry, she tried to ignore it but she couldn't stop the rivulets of scarlet blood streaking down her cheeks. They mixed with the water and soapsuds, spiralling down the drain. Seras eventually stopped her crying, feeling better for having done so, and began on the monstrous task of applying enough soap to get the dried blood out her hair.

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Alucard stared at the wall and thought about the conversation he had just had with Seras. He knew his offer was a contrast to their normal exchanges, but her reactions had confused him. When he had made the offer of his coffin to her she had looked so nervous and unsure, scared even. But when he had said that he wouldn't be anywhere near her, she had looked relieved. Was the thought of being close to him really so repulsive? He shook his head of the thoughts; it wasn't as if it mattered to him. It wasn't like he cared about she viewed him. But even as he thought such things he knew it wasn't true. Growling in frustration he stood and tried to find something to distract himself with.

His fledgling's room was fairly bland, much like his own, but she had acquired small items here and there that had given the space a personalised feel. There was a desk, a few chairs and her bedside table she had liberated that was decorated with pictures of her family when she was still a child, and of her squad from cheddar. There was even a photo of her with the household of the Hellsing manor at the Christmas ball.

Alucard picked up the photo and inspected it carefully. Seras, in her usual innocent manner had suggested that they throw a small ball for the soldiers on Christmas day, as a 'boost of moral'. Alucard had thought it a childish idea, but his master had thought it a rather good one and, despite his protests, had thrown it in full force. The soldiers had, to Seras' credit been a lot happier and were more comfortable around the vampires afterwards and the event had been largely successful until a FREAK got on the premises. Although for Alucard this made the occasion even more enjoyable. The un-dead visitor aside, it had been categorised as a success, so much so that Sir Integra had continued to throw the ball every year since. Seras had taken the picture itself on her phone, in what she called a 'selfie'. It was surprisingly good quality and it had the view of the entire ballroom. Seras was at the front, a girlish smile on her face, with sir Integra standing beside her, a small, demure, grin on her lips. Behind them, in the background, was the dance floor which housed an assortment of soldiers in suits and their partners, and behind them leaning against the wall was Alucard and Walter watching the scene with matching grins. Alucard had dressed in a dark onyx suit with a deep red shirt and tie. Walter and Integra were dressed in their usual garments, but it was Seras who had really made the effort that night. After being gifted one of Integra's old dresses, the draculina had set about adjusting and accessorising it to accommodate her more defined figure. The corseted dress had a low v-neck and had tightened so it hugged snugly over her curves. Seras had even cut a large slit up one side, which almost reached her hip, so her leg was exposed. It was a deep burgundy at the shoulders and bust, but as the fabric fell downwards off her hips it blended into a deep charcoal, that pooled around her feet in smooth waves. Seras had been asked to dance so many times that night that there were points her face matched her outfit and Alucard had struggled to take his eyes of his fledgling.

Smiling lustily to himself, Alucard replaced the photo and looked over at the disgraceful bed. He pulled off the spoiled sheets and pillow covers and surveyed the damage done. The pillow itself was undamaged and was suitable to keep, but the mattress was covered in a huge brown and red stains and black splodges where the blood had clotted. Normally he would have just turned it over and pretended to have even noticed it, but the smell was awful as the draculinas bile had also soaked in and created a putrid odour. Sighing he piled the dirtied sheets in the corner of the bead and picked up the clean pillow. He searched the room for a place that Seras may keep spare sheets and blankets.

Having searched everywhere else, even under the ruined bed, Alucard finally decided to walk over to the wardrobe, open the doors, and search for sheets. He was greeted with a pleasantly sweet smell and a neat array of folded clothes. There were draws in the bottom that he assumed were filled with her more private garments, which he ignored for the time being, and shoved in the corner were her large combat boots. On the left side there was a long, slender, hanging rack from which hung the burgundy and charcoal dress along side an old, short, leather jacket. The right side was full of small shelves containing a couple of folded uniforms and some casual clothes. The top shelf, however, had some replacement sheets, useless till the bed was replaced, pillow covers and a thick tartan blanket. Pulling the last two out of the wardrobe he re-covered the pillow and folded the blanket, placing both of them on the table. Closing the wardrobe he noted the small amount of clothes Seras actually owned. The uniforms were mandatory whilst she was working and other than that there really wasn't much else. He really was going to have to teach her regeneration soon, he was getting bored of always seeing her in the same things. He briefly caught his reflection in the mirror and chuckled at the hypocrisy of his statement before moving back to the chair and sitting down and staring at the door awaiting the return of his fledgling.

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Seras towelled off and got dressed into her pyjamas, the dress feeling far to thin against her skin. Pulling on the hoodie, Seras gathered up her supplies and brushed her hair in front of the mirror. The strawberry blond locks were longer than the had been when she first entered the household and they now reached halfway past her shoulders, but still jutted out at the end in an usual spiky form. When she was finished she shoved the brush, and soap back in the cabinet and shoved her dead clothes into a bin. Sighing sleepily she walked out of the bathroom and back towards her bedroom, the towel draped around her shoulders, and thankfully fairly unstained. She stood at the door and smiled at her master, managing to mumble

"I'm ready," through a yawn

"You took your time," He muttered grumpily, standing slowly he picked up the blanket and pillow as he went. He swept past his fledgling and began walking down the frosty corridor, deeper into the confines of the Hellsing basement. Seras quickly hung her damp towel on the back of a chair before turning on her heel and jogging after her master. He regarded her momentarily from the corner of his eye, his gaze felt like snowflakes on her skin; unknown to him, sending shivers down Seras' spine. Her bare feet padded on the ground and without her shoes she felt utterly dwarfed by her master's form, suddenly aware that he must be at least two meters tall, if not bigger.

After a brief walk in silence he suddenly stopped and turned to walk through a large door Seras hadn't even noticed. It was painted a glossy black and, halfway up, an inscription had been painted on, in a language Seras couldn't understand. Feeling unsure as to whether she needed an invite into her master's chambers, Seras stood at the threshold and peered into the cavernous room. It was of a similar size to her room, but much more sparsely decorated. Instead of the four-poster coffin bed that she owned, Alucard appeared only to have a single black coffin. It looked as though it followed the traditional design but was plenty large enough to hold at least two vampires.

_Curious_, she thought, _Master is rather tall, but even he couldn't need all that room_... Deciding not to dawdle on the subject Seras decided to look around the rest of the space. Despite the room being poorly lit, there was still enough candlelight to see Alucard's huge throne and next to it a matching chair of a different, but equally grand, design. Seras eye, however, was abruptly drawn to the small, round, table, that sat between the two chairs. It was a supporting a pair of crystal wine glasses and a corked, olive-green, bottle. Yet it was not the items that sat atop the table that had caught her attention, but the dark shape that sat underneath. There, sitting in her master's room, was a large hound, its fur, jet-black in colour and it stared at her with beautiful crimson eyes, which blazed in the warm candlelight.

"Come in police girl. He won't bite you" Seras blushed slightly and took a few timid steps forward into the room, but stopping after she came within two meters of the hound. Her master sat calmly down on his throne, and watched his fledgling, amusement in his eyes. The dog, gracefully rose from its position and wandered over to the fledgling, tail waging gently from side to side. It was a large beast, its back reaching Seras' waist, with features and appearance very much like that of a wolf. She tried not to flinch away as it circled around her, a hungry look in its eyes, but when it drew closer she squeaked only to hear a little chuckle from he shadows in the corner.

"Nice wolf, master" She stammered timidly, still cautious of the animal "If you don't mind me asking…why do you have a hellhound in your room?" The beast seemed to find some sort of satisfaction from being called a hellhound and drew closer to her, a friendlier look in its eyes.

"He's my familiar, a demon that I summon to obey my commands. Most powerful vampires can summon at least one. They are often a reflection of the personality, experience, and wishes of the person who summoned them."

"Oh…" Seras murmured, a slight amount surprise in her voice. _So master is like a hellhound? Well I can see that, tenacious unrelenting and endlessly powerful. I wonder if I will have one some day?_ Although the thought of her very own familiar appealed to her, and she wanted to know as much as possible on the subject, she decided instead to ask, "Does he have name?" _LAME_ she thought to herself

"I decided to call him Osiris, after the Egyptian god of the underworld" Seras looked at her master with perfectly arched eyebrows, shocked by the fact he had a) decided to dignify her question with an answer and b) bothered to give the creature a name. He had never shown such care for another creature before, what made this one so much different?

Bending down slowly, Seras extended a hand to the dog and began to stroke its thick glossy fur. At once its features softened, and its tail began swinging back and forth at a ridiculous rate, a silly smile on its face exposing its endless rows of pointed teeth. She couldn't help but laugh a little; if this was supposed to be a representative of her master then she really must still be dreaming.

"He's adorable," She said, giggling as Osiris rolled over and enjoyed a superb belly-rub

"He's supposed to be a hellhound, one of the most fearsome beasts on earth." Alucard mumbled in mild astonishment and confusion "He is not supposed to do this, what did you do?" Seras made no reply but a happy giggle.

He lounged casually in his chair, watching the pair with a relaxed and consuming gaze. He regarded Seras, taking in her whole appearance, she looked so beautiful in the black sleeping gown, her voluptuous curves teasingly covered by the dark satin. He wondered how it would have felt to the touch, what it smelt like. What she smelt like. His thoughts swirled around him, their images fascinating and tempting, leaving a sharp glimmer in his eye.

He was brought back to the real world by the sound of light laughter and deep bark, it seems that his familiar had sensed, and linked into, his masters thoughts and had taken the chance to jump on the fledging and lick her face. With a sharp whistle, however, Alucard soon had the hound back by the table, a smug expression on its face. Alucard glared at the animal and turned back to face Seras. She was still sprawled on the floor, from being pounced upon by Osiris, but she was laughing jovially to herself as if she were in on a joke he was not. Alucard stood, taking a moment to gather his swimming thoughts, and began to make his way over to the small draculina, trying to suppress the urge to wrap her in a tight embrace and spend the night in the coffin with her.

After helping her stand he led her over to the coffin and handed her the blanket and pillow he had acquired from her room. She smiled in thanks, taking the items; still giggling from being jumped on. She truly was enchanting. Shaking his mind free of her allure, he pushed the lid of the giant coffin open just enough so she could slide inside and offered his hand to her.

"Thank you" she whispered, her laughter finally subsiding, as she took his grasp, stepping into the enclosed space; lying down on soft silk lining. She smiled slightly at her master before closing her eyes and being enveloped almost immediately in sleep. Alucard said nothing in return, but pulled close the heavy lid before returning to his chair, a small frown creasing his face.

_I got carried away_, he thought to himself, _this blasted season, this will effect more than just me. Master will be extremely pissed._ He glared down at the smug dog, which had curled up by its master's feet and began the night's slumber. _And you! You went and jumped on her, like I would have been so forward! I have some dignity you know._

_Oh really? _A hellhounds voice replied in his head. It was a deep voice, male in origin, and edged with a slight but charming accent. _You are struggling to contain your thoughts and feelings, and her season has barely begun. And now you've let her sleep in your coffin, if that's not forward I don't know what is._

_Hers was in ruins; I could hardly expect her to sleep in it!_

_Yes you could, you're her master. She would have slept on the floor if you told her too. But no, you had to invite her into your bed. You're laying your claim, early as well. Afraid she may go to another?_

_Such questions do not concern you, _Alucard spat venomously

_Her smell will be all over bed, _it teased

_Quiet!_

_It'll be even stronger now too, you've only added to yo-_

_ENOUGH!_ Alucard yelled in his mind. The hound was silent, but it looked at him with bright eyes, glittering with victory. He knew how his master felt for the fledgling and it amused him to see the elder vampire become so distracted. Something like this hadn't happened in centuries, it was sure to be an entertaining show.

The hound closed its eyes and its breathing became a regular beat, indicting it too had finally drifted off. Alucard slowly let his mind drift, the thoughts of his fledgling emanating from his coffin, washed over his mind, lulling him into slumber, like sirens tempting a lost sailor to his ultimate demise.

"You will be the undoing of me Seras Victoria" he muttered, before he to was resting soundly, slumped in his throne.


	11. The two dragons

A very boring chapter, I'm sorry, but heyho, at least there is one. I'll admit I've hit a wall with this, and i am laking the inspiration to write decent stuff, and the pressure of oncoming exams isn't helpful. But never mind me, i hope you guys can enjoy the chapter, thanks again for the review, they mean a lot! R&amp;R and have a good one!

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(Next evening)

Sir Integra glared out of the large, curved, window of her office, and down at the soldiers who were training in the yard below. The yellow and orange rays cast out by the setting sun lit her stern features, and extenuated the angles of her face with heavy shadows. Behind her stood Walter, waiting in silence, for his employer to process the knowledge he had just imparted upon her.

"Let me get this straight…" She said, irritation lacing her words like flames "After the meeting, Seras collapsed due to the fact she had begun her…mating season…?"

"Yes sir Integra, although Alucard has since informed me it is named temporum lamia" (*Time of vampires*) replied the retainer, careful not to test the iron maiden anymore than was necessary

"So Alucard knew this would happen?" Integra asked, her impatience growing

"Yes, although he assumed it wouldn't happen for at least a century or two, therefore thinking that it wouldn't affect you, hence why he neglected to tell you and why he was so surprised himself." Taking a moment to consider her words, Integra took a long drag of her cigar before continuing. When she finally did speak the smoke rose in tendrils from her mouth, making her look somewhat like an ancient and lethal dragon.

"So, after Seras fainted, Alucard took her to the basement, where Miss Pennaguille helped revive the girl, in the process revealing herself to be very familiar with witchery."

"Indeed" Walter replied in a concerned tone

"Yet another thing we didn't know about our guest, and that she neglected to tell us" Integra let the latter part of the sentence sound slightly colder. She knew she should have pressed for more information about the girls past when she had the chance. She had felt sorry, knowing how the memories of loss could harm and torture the mind, but this constant feeling of being in the dark was not acceptable. To discover that someone of her own flesh and blood was practicing magic via a third party was disgraceful. "And you neglected to make me aware of this situation, as it was happening, Walter because…?"

"My apologies madam, you were asleep and there seemed no point in waking you as there was nothing you could have done to aid the situation." Walter bowed slightly in apology and looked Integra up and down for a moment. The white-blond haired woman had her back to him, but stood at an angle so that she could see him from the corner of her eye. She wore a steeled expression and was clearly trying her best not to punch something. The butler mentally applauded her for such restraint; under such circumstances many would have lost their temper, especially Sir Integra, but as a matter of fact she seemed to be taking the whole situation rather well.

It was at this particular point in time that a small knock came at the door of the office and a young face poked through a gap in entrance. Bethany wore a solemn expression and waited patiently to be invited inside, clearly a result of her military training.

"Come here" Integra demanded, her tone booming, sounding not unlike a parent about to scold a reckless child.

Walter watched as the young girl walked towards the desk her head bowed in mild shame. The only sound was the sharp click of her heeled shoes on the polished stone floor. The girls Dark blond hair had been straightened and swung about her hips, she wore an elegant white top that hung from her shoulders by thin straps; with layers of soft material giving her an graceful, almost gliding, manner. She wore tight, dark washed jeans, underneath the top, making her also seem taller than he had previously remembered her to be.

"I'm so sorry" She blurted as she reached the desk, much to Integra's and Walters surprise. "I would have told you about my…about me being…but I wasn't sure how much you knew, or how you'd take it. I'm sorry" She descended into an uncertain silence, but she held her head up and looked Integra straight in the eye, unafraid to be reprimanded for her lack of information sharing skills. There was an odd moment between the two women as they regarded each other, Integra stood, silhouetted by the setting sun, like a hawk inspecting its prey whilst Bethany held her head high a self assured look on her face, illuminated by the last rays of sun. Both clear heirs to the Hellsing name.

"I don't care that you're a witch," Integra stated suddenly, almost spitting the words "I care that you didn't tell me, in person." The words were borderline emotional and Walter noted a small amount of betrayal in his employers eyes, though it was hard to say for definite with the light behind her.

"I apologise, but surely you can understand my hesitation in sharing my true nature" the young girl replied coolly, seemingly unaffected by the hash tone of Integra's' words "Not many would be so welcoming to such concepts"

"I prefer to judge people on their actions, not their heritage" The woman replied, her voice low, but a little less icy now.

"Its not who we are, but what we do that defines us?"

"Yes, quite…" Integra raised an eyebrow at the odd use of a batman quote but decided not to dwell on the subject. "You saved Seras, and for that I thank you. However I will now expect you to tell me properly about yourself and exactly why you seem to know so much about vampires"

"Oh well its not vampires alone," Bethany replied with a more relaxed pose, and tone, clearly she felt more at ease reciting her knowledge that explaining her actions "it's actually a large variety of demons and mythical creatures. As said I worked as an assassin for the government. However I was also trained as a low-level witch and studied great depths into supernatural society. There really is a fascinating amount of material, if you know where to look. If you just…" Bethany continued to ramble on about her adventures in ancient libraries, and conversations with impossible people, to the Hellsing heiress, only stopping when it was clear the Lady had endured enough talking.

"Alright, alright. That's enough for now." Integra interjected "As long as there is nothing else of pressing importance I think we're done talking about this for now." Bethany smiled, happy to not be kicked out of the manor so soon, even happier to see her smile returned by Integra. "Anyways, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to continue to monitor Seras' condition and give me a report on her status when you can."

"Of course, it's the least I can do!" Bethany nodded enthusiastically, a larger smile now painting her face.

"What information do you have so far on this 'temporum lamia'?" Integra asked, now taking a seat in her oversized office chair. Walter, who saw this as a clear sign that the conversation was definitely going to be civil, and that now was the perfect time to retrieve consumables, quickly left the room in the aim of making a large pot of tea. Bethany, noting the shift in mood, took her seat in a large leather chair in front of Integra's desk. The chair was comfortably squishy, but still offered enough support for the sitters not to end up slouching, or find themselves in any difficulty to stand again.

"I have made a few notes on what I can remember of the matter," Bethany started 'but the more vital information will be some of the books that I own. You may need to give me some time to collect the sufficient data for o full report." Integra nodded in understanding and took a dag from her cigar whilst Bethany continued her explanation. "But from what I can recall, at the moment, the 'temporum lamia' is a stage of a vampires life, in which, the vampire becomes fertile. It occurs only in females and signals when she is ready to take a mate and/or carry a child" Integra raised an eyebrow and coughed slightly on the cigar smoke, but Bethany ignored this, however, and continued to recall the facts in her mind. "The female releases hormones that other vampires can smell, attracting them to her. This is recorded to effect any vampire attracted to females, regardless of gender, thus such events do not always end up in the creation of offspring."

The conversation was interrupted, as Walter walked through the large doors, pulling a large wheeled tea trolley behind him. Quite how he had managed to assemble the entire ensemble in such a short amount of time utterly perplexed Bethany; he truly was a wonder butler. She watched in silence as he poured out tea into two matching china cups, and offering them to the two ladies. The tea trolley seemed to produce and amazing array of cakes and sweet nibbles, and only proceeded to distract the young girl further. Sir Integra was forced to clear her throat loudly, to recapture her informants' attention.

"Yes, right, anyways, where was I?" She asked out loud "Ah yes, the temporum lamia, it usually happens on average about a century after a vampiress' creation, later for those of a weaker blood line and earlier for those of a stronger one, but even then fifty years is considered the absolute youngest from which the process could be survived. It lasts on average somewhere between one month to nine, but it stops almost immediately after a mate has been selected. The thing is Seras must not only be from an extremely strong blood line, via Alucard, to have gone through the transition so early, but also have incredible strength within her own body to survive it. The reason it happens so late, normally, is because their bodies are…recreating themselves, for lack of a better term. All the cells are replaced at incredible speed and so vampires who are older, and with more power, are more likely to live on as the have regenerated their bodies before and know how to control the pain, and prevent themselves from loosing too much blood in the process."

"But the concoction you made? If you knew that no others, so young, had survived the process, what inspired you to make it?" Integra leaned forward in interest, taking a large sip of her tea.

"Well to be honest, it was all I could think of at the time. It is traditionally used to help with the later parts of the season, but it seemed to do the trick and keep her alive, well, alive as can be."

"Interesting, your quite impressive under pressure. You'll make a good heir to the Hellsing title one day."

"Thank you" Bethany said with a small grin, and a hint on surprise, pleased at receiving such praise from the woman. She had heard stories about Integra before reaching the manor, about how she was a stern woman who rarely trusted others, who would sooner shoot you than say hello. However, that was clearly not the case. She gave her respect to those who deserved it, and trusted people to do the right thing, even if they hadn't told her the entire truth.

"May I suggest for now you keep Seras off active duty?" Bethany asked, "Her current state will cause problems in battle. Any vampire that takes a fancy to Seras may end up kidnapping her, or slaughtering all your men to get at her. Either way, I think it's best if she stays here, inside the mansion, for now. The presence of the soldiers may do something to deter any vamps who get too interested"

"And what about Alucard?"

"Yes, his presence would certainly put of new suitors too. If they thought she already had a strong contester they may be les likely to approach her.

"I was actually asking if he would be a problem, considering the circumstance" Integra said, amusement tingeing her words.

"Oh. Well, I think it would do more damage, they do have a bond afterall, and severing it at this time may be more that Seras could handle giving her state, both mentally and physically." Integra arched an eyebrow as if to say 'is there anything else?' but Bethany's silence gave her the answer that she needed.

The two women began mindless small talk, now that the volatile subjects had been covered. The chatter wandered around many subjects from simple things like how they grew up to more complex topics such as the best was to assemble an attack on certain buildings around London. Eventually the conversation died down and the two women watched as the sun finally sunk beyond the horizon and the moon took its position high in the inky night sky.

"Oh and I almost forgot," Integra interjected as the tea and cakes were cleared away back onto the trolley they had emerged from "at the end of the week there will be a ball thrown in your honour. As the new Hellsing heir you must be presented to the other knights. I would like you to prepare yourself for that. It's a very important event, so you'll no doubt have to wear something flashy, but remember that you will be meeting your future colleagues and representatives of the queen. Do not let your guard down, they're sneaky bastards the lot of them." Bethany gave Integra a knowing smile before standing, giving a small curtsy and saying,

"Thank you Integra, I shall assist you in anyway I can"

"No problem Bethany, You start your lessons this evening at eight"

"uhh...lessons?" the young girl asked a slightly confused look on her face, clearly lost by the swift change in subject.

"Don't worry, it's just minor social etiquette, dancing and such things, just so you're ready for the event. By the looks of your curtsey you need it." Integra smiled wickedly at Bethany and watched as she left the room, the girls chin rose much higher than it was when she came in.

It was after the young lady had left that Walter finally spoke up and said, "I presume I am to be giving Miss Pennaguille her lessons on etiquette and dancing?"

"Yes, and while you're at it try and get Seras involved as well. It should keep her busy if she's not on missions, and she could help with the teaching of dances. She's quite well versed if I remember correctly" An image of the Christmas ball flicked into her mind and Seras being swarmed by every solider in the room for a dance. She had managed very well that night, gliding between partners effortlessly, reminiscent of a butterfly fluttering from one blossom to another, her grace matched only by the other vampire of the Hellsing manor. Integra took one last drag of her cigar before putting the thing out and starting on the huge amounts of paperwork that now sat upon her desk.


	12. First of Many

Alucard was awoken by the sound of soft footsteps approaching his door. Deciding that it was best to be seen fully clothed, the master vampire stood, wrapped the shadows of the room around himself and dispersed them, leaving his red coat, and layers of unwrinkled material beneath it. From the lightness of the steps, and the timing between them, Alucard quickly figured out that it was Walter who was approaching, no doubt carrying the evening's blood reserves for Seras, and he, to drink.

Now that he had finished dressing himself, Alucard sat back down in his chair, and stared at the door patiently, like a king awaiting the entrance of his servant.

"Good evening Walter" He rumbled as the butler walked in. The retainer gave a brief glance at Alucard, one eyebrow raised in question to the vampires early rising hours, before looking away again. He utterly ignoring the hound by Alucard's feet, it wasn't the first time he had seen the creature and he was well aware that it was of no threat to him. Walter carried two large metal buckets in each hand, both filled to the brim with ice and blood packs; he looked, however, as though he had just received some rather annoying news.

"Indeed sir" He replied curtly, placing one of the large buckets of ice down on a wooden table that had been pushed against the wall. He hesitated momentarily before placing the second one down next to it. "I didn't see the police girl in her room this evening, I presume you know where she is, Alucard?"

"Yes, you need not worry about her." Alucard said through a deep chuckle "However her coffin will need to be refurbished, its ruined beyond repair and the current sleeping arrangements will not be acceptable as a long term solution."

"Current arrangements, sir?" Walters' tone was definitely confused, but the words had been spoken through a sigh, no doubt tired of dealing with the vampires' unfinished train of thought. Alucard said nothing, to help the butlers understanding, as he walked over to the table and bit into his blood back, but merely glared at his currently occupied coffin, knowing the retainer would work it out eventually. Walter seemed to get the meaning behind the look and eventually nodded in understanding. "I'll do my best Alucard but I can't promise it will be easy, the mattress is custom made. It may take a week, at least."

"Fine, just make it quick. I can't take sleeping in a chair much longer" Alucard sneered slightly at the thought of spending his time another day sleeping outside of hi coffin. The elderly retainer smiled slightly before bowing and made to leave the room, pausing as he reached the door.

"Miss Victoria has been suspended from active duty for the time being, but her assistance is required helping school Miss Bethany. Please inform her of this new alteration to her schedule" And with that the retainer glided out, closing the door behind him, leaving Alucard alone with his fledgling.

_'__Now that's interesting…' _came Osiris' voice in his head _'removing her from active duty, is that to keep her away from possible suitors, or you? Or are they one and the same?' _Alucard glared at his familiar, annoyed that the beast could push so many of his buttons with so few words.

"You can shut up," he grumbled at the hound. _'Go back to sleep'_

_'__Don't pout princess, at least this way you'll have less contenders for her' _Alucard growled but otherwise ignored the familiars taunts, he wasn't going to rise to the bait, it was to early in the evening for that.

He listened carefully to his fledglings' thoughts as he drank his blood. Her mental barrier was still in place but wasn't as strong now she was sleeping and the occasional image or word escaped which Alucard read with some concern. From what he could gather her mind was currently occupied within a vivid nightmare, with the words 'parents', 'blood' and 'dead' often occurring. Sighing he dropped his empty blood pack into a bin and stalked over to his coffin, pushing the large lid off to reveal a small figure with crimson tears streaking her cheeks and droplets of sweat coating her skin. Alucard frowned as Seras whimpered, curling up into a ball to hide from the unseen monsters of her dream. Tenderly he reached out and touched her shoulder; causing her eyes to instantly snap open, fear making them shine in the warm candlelight.

"Seras?" Concern tinted his words as he looked down at his fledgling. The vampiress herself was still caught up in her dream, still not fully aware of her surroundings and began to cry again. With a flash of crimson Alucard was laying beside her in the coffin, wrapping his arms around her small form, holding her tight as she shuddered from her sobs. He murmured comforting words into her ear and held her until the shaking had subsided, releasing her, only a little, to look at her face. It was red and blotchy, but he wiped away the tears with his gloved hands, the blood leaving no stain upon them.

"I'm sss-sorry" Seras stammered through uneven breaths, now fully awake and painfully aware of her close proximity to her master. She was warm all over, more so in some areas than others, and was secretly thankful of her tears for hiding the redness of her blush.

Alucard's eyes scanned her porcelain face, "You are safe now, Seras, don't worry" He murmured, almost to quiet to be heard. Shocked by the tenderness of the statement his fledgling merely lay beside him; there was a moment of silence between the two before Seras began to shift in the embrace, and Alucard reluctantly let go, standing up and out of the coffin with practiced ease; Seras stepped out on less graceful and more wobbly feet, feeling slightly hollow now her master had stepped away from her. She cursed herself for breaking the embrace, it had felt rather nice and she had spoiled the entire thing. Her mind swam with thoughts that she fought to contain within her mental barriers, distracted only by the sight of two ice buckets on the table.

_Had Walter already been down?_ She thought, slightly disappointed. She had always enjoyed the conversations the two of them had when she awoke; he was always so pleasant to her. Alucard had managed to walk over to the buckets, without Seras noticing any movement, and take a second blood pack from one, biting into it with eager hunger, his head tilted forward slightly so shadows and his hair masked his features, his tall frame leaning against the table. She walked over to the bench and grabbed one blood pack for herself and bit into it as daintily as she could. Unlike Alucard she wasn't able to lean against the large piece of furniture, another curse of being smaller than most, so she instead opted for hopping atop of the table and sitting on it, her legs swinging freely beneath her.

"Did Walter mention any missions today?" She asked between mouthfuls of crimson liquid, she looked over to Alucard who was busy watching her from the corner of his eye, his own food finished.

"No, not for you. You have been suspended from active duty until your season has terminated" His tone gave away no emotion and his words seemed harshly clinical, but Seras was sure she could see something odd in his expression.

"Well at least I won't be in your way for a while" She joked, only to have an awkward silence from her master in response. Feeling foolish again Seras ate her second blood pack under the scrutinizing gaze of the tall man beside her. When she had gotten about halfway through to pack, Alucard spoke again,

"You have been assigned to the schooling of the little witch instead, alongside Walter, of course."

"Schooling? How could I help? What on earth could I teach her Walter couldn't?" Seras frowned in concern, she tried to think of any outstanding talents she possessed that the new heir would find useful, and unless being a general annoyance was a good life lesson, she was having difficulty thinking of any.

"Don't judge yourself so harshly police girl, you have more knowledge and skill than you realise. And lord knows you have a better outlook on things than many in this house" Alucard stepped away from the table and went to go pull the lid of his coffin closed, while Seras finished off her food and threw away the empty packets of blood. It was at this point in time that she realised that she was still in her rather revealing nightdress and suddenly felt very exposed, she crossed her legs, and crossed her arms in an attempt to cover herself a little better, not that Alucard seemed to pay any notice to her. Not knowing exactly what to do next Sera decided to sit on the table and stare at her masters' hound. The creature itself had been watching their interactions with some interest and was now spending a considerable amount of its attention on Seras. The two looked at one another, their gaze locked in an un-dead staring competition, until there was a slight coughing sound, in the corner of the room that caught both of their attention. Alucard had now donned his hat and glasses, completing his normal garb, and had turned to face the pair, a quizzical look on his face.

"Police girl?" He asked "Do you plan on actually turning up to you new assignment or are you just contented with having a staring contest with my familiar?" Seras blushed, dipped her head and jumped off the table, landing gracefully on the stone floor.

"Sorry master, yes, of course." She waved goodbye to the hound turned to he master and said, "thank you for allowing me to sleep in your coffin, enjoy your evening Alucard" before walking elegantly out of the space and down the hallway to her own room.

_'__So your fledgling is now assigned to the care of your new master, interesting.'_

Osiris murmured. Alucard frowned, concern etching his angular features

"I want you to follow her," He commanded "keep an eye on her progress and alert me if anything of interest happens here in the mansion whilst I'm gone" The familiar smiled, revealing its elongated, pointy, teeth, and left to follow Seras down the hallway, Its large tail swinging happily from side to side. It turned back for a second, only to see that its master had already dissipated into the shadows of the room, no doubt summoned by the iron maiden, Integra.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Seras laughed lightly as she watched Bethany dance around the spacious, well light, dance hall. The girl had her arms raised and was perfectly executing a waltz, on her own, with Walter sat behind her playing a simple rhythm on a grand piano. As she twirled in a small circle, her pose supported by the phantom partner, and her steps matched perfectly to the beat of the melody the retainer was currently playing. Seras had initially taken part in the dance acting as the lead so that the teenager could learn the steps, but the difference in height became more of a hindrance than a help as the vampire was a good 15cm shorter than her partner, who apparently insisted on wearing heels wherever she went, and eventually she had opted to learn the dance alone.

Seras, now finding that she wasn't presently needed to help, had instead decided to lean against the wall of the room and half-watch her surroundings, slightly distracted by the thoughts that occupied her mind. Beside her was a simple, but endlessly comfortable couch that was currently entirely occupied by a large furry beast, in the form of her master's wolf familiar. For some reason the blasted creature had followed her everywhere that she had gone ever since leaving her masters room. She hadn't really minded too much, the rest of the household showed little to no reaction to the large hound, all except Bethany who had mad a few confused, fish-like noises before being hushed by Walter by the simple sentence

"It belongs to Alucard, and it wont hurt you." He had murmured "Beyond that its probably best if you don't ask and do your own research" After that the girl had been so distracted with the proper way to eat salad with a fork she had all but forgotten about the snarling shadow that followed Seras around the mansion like a...well…like a lost puppy.

The young vampiress applauded loudly as Bethany finished the dance, stepping away form the imaginary partner and performing and ill-attempted curtsey. Walter sighed whilst he pulled a pained expression, and Seras heart went out to the poor girl, knowing all to well haw difficult a 'real' curtsey could be to master.

"Your dance was perfectly executed, Miss Pennaguille," The retainer commented "the finish, however, appears to need some refining" He stood, with an easy grace that he had mastered over many years, and walked in front of the girl, his head tilted to one side in pensive thought. "If you think you can avoid this lesson by standing at the side of the room, Police girl, then you are surely mistaken." He said, without turning to face her, Seras huffed in annoyance, but pushed of the wall and came to stand next to Bethany, staring up at Walter, barley concealed annoyance in her eyes. The retainer said nothing for a few moments, whilst regarding the difficult task ahead of him, but eventually spoke with a rather cunning plan in his mind.

"Oh god" Seras muttered, recognising the crafty glint in the butlers eye. The young heiress raised an eyebrow and made to ask, but was interrupted by Walters commanding tone.

"Right, ladies, I want the two of you to perform your very best bows, and I will tell you how you can improve them. The pair of you will then practice bowing to each other, and then give each other your own critical feed back." He smiled in an easy manner, which made Seras feel a slight anxious

"And how long will we be watching each other bow for, exactly?" she asked

"Oh I should think at least an hour or so" He replied simply

"So long!? And what will you be doing whilst we stand here doing that?" Asked Bethany, who was also curious of the strange instructions, she had just been given.

"Well, unlike you I have dinner to make and tables to set, this lesson will give me time to complete the tasks." He clicked his fingers together and loudly announced to the room "Bow". The two girls looked at each other not entirely sure of the seriousness of the instructions, but both eventually conformed, and gave their best, albeit wobbly, curtseys. Once they had stood Walter gave them each an extended but specific lecture on the rights and wrongs of their every move, before he turned on his heel and made towards the door, the two ladies heads still spinning with his criticisms.

"Wait!" Called Seras "What do we do if we have a question?" Walter didn't turn back, or even slow down as he replied with,

"Ask the hellhound" before he glided through that large doors and disappeared into the winding corridors of the Hellsing mansion.

"Was that a joke?" Asked Bethany, a confused look on her face.

"Probably not" Seras muttered, looking over at the smirking beast. It had been watching them carefully, from its lounged position, on the comfortable looking couch, and was now staring at Seras again, an evil smile playing on its lips. It was strange how it kept doing that to her, as if it knew something she did not and found endless joy in just watching her go about her un-life "Any ways, we should probably get on with it." she said turning away from the jet black beast, and its haunting eyes, instead looking to the pretty young girl that stood in front of her.

"Sure" The girl gave a small curtsey and smiled sarcastically at Seras "How was that?"

"Alright, I guess, but you showed too much neck to be proper" Seras sniggered at her words, not really believing the exercise to be necessary, but continuing with it anyways. The girls continued to curtsey to one another, and chatter, all under the careful watch of the sofa-hound. Seras used this moment to try and actually gain some knowledge of what was going on in the house for once, she was so often left out of the loop for these sorts of event.

"So when, exactly is this ball?" she asked, a slight amount of worry in her voice.

"Really? You don't know? Sir Integra sure keeps you well informed doesn't she?" Bethany sighed a little, wondering if bad communication skills really did run in the family "Its at the end of the week, Saturday if I remember correctly."

"So soon? That's only five days away, wonder what I'll wear…"

"I'd go for a dress, turning up in a bin bag isn't very posh if I remember correctly" Remarked the young heiress sardonically, a friendly challenge in her eyes.

"That's only because you don't know how to wear one properly" retorted Seras

"Oh sorry you grand highness of bin liners, I didn't realise I was in the presence of rubbish royalty" Seras laughed at Bethany's ironic tone, and the two continued the conversation, half seriously, half jokingly, until the subject had bored them and they moved onto another. Since they had both perfected their bows, the pair had decided to move over to the love seat where the hound was sat, and take a rest for the rest of the lesson.

They had originally planned on moving it; however the large beast had fallen asleep during their conversation and was probably in no mood to be shifted from its pew. Instead the ladies had elected to sit on the floor, pinching a few cushions to sit on, and leant back against the frame on the sofa.

"So… this season thingy" Seras began suddenly, avoiding eye contact with the girl, "I get that it happens when I chose a mate, but what is defined as 'choosing a mate'?"

"Interesting question, the answer to which is surprisingly complicated" Bethany smiled as she stared around the room, taking in the pale grandeur of the place. The parlour had been decorated with soft pastel walls, and had a polished wooden floor that stretched out beneath them. There was very little furniture, aside from the piano and a small groups of seats scattered about. The room was practically empty, but not without character. She turned to face Seras and continued, "There are many ways of putting it, but the most accurate definition I have found is that, 'once the female', that's you by the way, 'has chosen her final mate, a bond is produced, as the pair recite their vows, and it is solidified as they consolidate their unholy marriage.'" Seras raised an eyebrow and looked up at Bethany, a sceptical look on her face. "Look essentially you find your man, you say some vows, then you sleep together. Simple as"

"Okay, but how do I know when I've _'found my man?'_"

"That's never been fully documented, but this one vampire writer compared it to a blissful, opium fuelled dream. So I guess it's a good moment.

"Thanks for the specifics" Seras muttered, two fingers rubbing her temple, as a dull pain began to form at the site, _'strange'_ she thought _'I didn't think I could get headaches anymore, all though, I clearly know less about my un-life than I thought I did'_. Leaning back she rested her head next to the hounds, and smiled as it licked her face gently before shutting its eyes in rest again, the contact somehow making her headache feel less painful. Beside her, Bethany said nothing, but stared instead out of one of the large windows to one side of the room, the falling rain seemingly hypnotising the girl and eventually lulling her into a restful slumber. The vampiress didn't try to wake her, but instead let her drift off, the poor girl was probably still adjusting to the new timetable and would need to make back her lost hours of sleep.

Standing up, Seras pushed the hound off the loveseat, and piled a few cushions into a corner as a makeshift set of pillows. The hound stretched and gave a quiet yawn, but didn't seem overly bothered about being removed from its place on the sofa. Gently she picked up the sleeping girl and placed her down on the settee, all without disturbing the heiress' rest. Taking a step back she regarded the young girl briefly, the rise and fall of her chest indicated a restful sleep and the gently murmured words signifying pleasant dreams.

Suddenly Seras felt something soft touch the edge of her mind, her head whipped to the door and she licked her lips in anticipation, though she didn't quite know why. Turning on her heel quickly she walked out of the room, her pace growing in speed as she went. The dark hound looked at her through narrowed ruby eyes, before following after her, its closeness making it seem as though she had a second shadow.

The vampire stalked through the halls of the manor and made her way out into the back garden, not encountering a single soul on her way. Seras barely even knew what was happening, she felt as though she were swimming inside her own mind, the caress on her thoughts drawing her closer to its source. Her nostrils flared, she could smell it now, and the sent was heavy and sweet, like the delicious desserts posh hotels used to serve, oozing with chocolate and cream.

She passed through the back door of the kitchen and out onto the large patio, passing the spot where she had collapsed; ignoring the blood splatter that still occupied the space, she jumped over a wall and towards the rear-end of the grounds. A large iron fence enclosed the entirety of the Hellsing manor, and beyond it was nothing but empty darkness, created by the canopies of a large forest. But Seras knew that there was something there. She could feel it in every fibre of her being. Reaching out to the barrier, the vampiress wrapped her fingers around two of the metal bars and peered out into the inky shadows. The smell was so interesting and unusual; she had to know its origin. Unknown to her, the hound had fallen back a few paces and had hidden in the shadows of a large shrub, able to watch the vampiress carefully without being seen itself.

"Hellooo?" she called out, her tone alluring and playful "I know you're out there, come to mamma…" Seras barely recognised her own words, but she didn't care, the sent emanating from beyond the barrier was so intoxicating it was driving her crazy. She felt her chest tighten and shivers crawl up her spine. "Don't toy with me, that's too cruel" She sang out too the darkness, licking her lips all the while. She noticed a small movement in the shadows and her smile grew, her fangs elongating and poking out onto her bottom lip. A hooded figure stepped forward, and made his way over to the barrier.

"I thought I could sense you, my sweet" He replied teasingly "you are so very enchanting, how have we not met before? Such a crime is simply not acceptable" His smile was as intoxicating as his sent, and Seras pressed herself against the bars in an attempt to see his face better. "I am Orochi Saito, but you, enchantress, may call me Oro (o-row). It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Why thank you, _Oro_, you're quite appealing yourself. I'm Seras Victoria." She smirked as he drew closer to her, until he was no more than a few inches away from her. He was considerably taller than her, her eyes on the same level as his chest, but his height had nothing on Alucard. Seras frowned briefly at her comparison, now was not the time for her brain to be thinking of other men! Especially not **_him_**. Pushing thoughts of her master aside she gazed up at the face of the man. The hood concealed most of his features in shadow, but she cold see a pair of thin smirking lips and a slightly stubbled chin. "Remove your hood" She commanded, tilting her head in thought. He obeyed immediately, and pushed the dark fabric away from his face, revealing the full beauty of his features. He had the usual flawless skin of all vampires, and his square jaw line framed his face perfectly. His eyes showed that he was of an Asian decent, although she wasn't sure exactly where, but his accent had been that of a British noble, overly charming and every word pronounced as carefully as possible.

Taking a few steps backwards, Seras took a moment to take in all of the man's body. He was well built, his musculature showing through his clothes. He wore dark trousers and military-like boots, his top was black and he wore a long leather coat, the hood of which now sat softly around his shoulders. He looked as though he had just jumped out of movie, a mysterious, dark, leather clad hero, quite the image of appeal.

"Do you approve of me, my mistress?" He asked, his smirk still in place. Seras regarded him a moment longer, before nodding slowly.

"You are quite handsome, are you not?" She said smiling along with him, despite his impressiveness, Seras couldn't help but feel like there was something missing from their encounter "Are you here to make me an offer?" Her words were rushed and playful, but she couldn't deny the fact that part of her just didn't like this man. Part of Seras was aware of how unlike herself she was acting; however the more ferocious and untamed beast within her muffled it.

"Indeed I am, how astute of you" He stated, sarcasm tinting his words slightly. He reached into an inside pocket of his jacket and Seras briefly froze, worried that he would produce a weapon of some sort, only to see that he pulled out small plum coloured box, that sat pleasantly on the palm of his hand. He pushed his hand through the iron bars of the fence, offering it to her, smiling at her all the while. "Do not worry _mi dulce_, it is a gift, a declaration of my love for you." Stepping towards him Seras gently took the box and ran her fingers along its surface. The container was a soft velvet, and about the size of her hand, Her delicate fingertips curling around it tenderly.

She looked up at the man, about to thank him, but he had already disappeared back into the shadows of the trees, his sent fading and his alluring touch on her mind now dissipating. Blinking rapidly Seras looked around too see if anyone had seen her. _'Did that actually just happed?'_ she wondered to herself _'did I really just act so…so…so unlike me? To a stranger, a vampire no less?'_ she was keen to deny the interaction had ever happened, but the weight of the box in her hands told her otherwise. Shaking her head she turned her attention to the gift. There was no point in denying her situation, her first 'suitor' had just appeared and now she had to deal with the consequences of that.

She was about to open the box when she noticed the beast emerge from behind one of the bushes. _'Oh God, it saw, it's probably already told master, I'm doomed'_ Seras' eyes opened wide in apology, and she began to shake all over.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what was happening I-…I didn't know what I was doing" The hound made no reply but walked over to her side and pressed against her legs in understanding. The animal had known what was happening, even before she did, and that the fledgling hadn't been able to help or explain her actions. Osiris just hoped that Alucard would now realise he wasn't the only one who had a claim to Seras' attention.

For what it was worth the animals affection had seemed to comfort the vampiress, to some extent, and the lady wore a small, soft smile. She opened the box and frowned at the contents. She crouched down and showed it to the beast. Osiris peered into the container, within the velvet case was a large emerald egg, around the size of her fist, with a detailed golden dragon encircling it. There was an inscription down the side of it in Chinese. It was a truly enchanting gift, and probably cost a fair amount to procure.

"Do you know what this says?" She asked pointing to the inscription gently. The hound nodded, though he wasn't sure how this would help the lady, considering he couldn't actually communicate with her. She took the box back, and studied it carefully, before shutting the box and sighing to her. She didn't know why she had asked the dog what it said, perhaps she thought if she showed it to someone else it would feel more precious, but the gift still didn't fill the emptiness she felt inside of her. The man, for all his elegance and charm, just wasn't quite enough, and his gift had somehow felt so impersonal, despite that it was probably one of a kind.

Opening the box again, Seras tossed the egg from one hand to another, studying the inscription carefully. She wanted to know what it said, but she wasn't sure whom to ask. Walter may know, he seemed to be fairly cultured and knowledgeable, but sharing the information about where she got the item from could cause all kinds of problems. She would probably be banned from even going in the garden. She'd be cooped up like a chicken. Bored out of her mind, with the only entertainment being the residents of the household. A brief shiver crawled down her spine at the memory of Alucard terrorising the entire army barracks for a week when he had been suspended after almost blowing up an entire apartment block. Seras shook her head; she refused to allow herself to become so crazy by being cooped up. Telling Walter, Integra, and any of the soldiers was out of the question. Bethany, by proxy, was also ruled out as a possible information source. Although she seemed nice, she still had loyalty to Integra and might not be able to keep the secret of Seras' mysterious visitor '_Oro' _and his gift to her.

She knew that the only person she could truly ask was her master, and for some reason she wasn't too keen to show her gift from another vampire to him. It felt wrong somehow, like she would hurt or offend him someway by doing so, like eating a chocolate bar in front of a diabetic, it most of all just felt rude.

Sighing the young vampiress placed the egg inside its case; snapped the box shut, and made her way back towards the manor, Her master would be arriving back from his mission soon and Lady Bethany still had lessons to attend this evening.

"No rest for the wicked" she murmured to the hound as the shadowy pair made their way through the winding paths of the garden. "No rest at all."


	13. Returning Home

Alucard stood in the shadows of his masters' office, waiting for the blond to finish her paperwork and begin taking details of the mission report. Normally the elder vampire had a lot of patience and welcomed chances such as these, to allow his mind to relax and become ordered, but tonight something was different. His assignment had all gone as planned, but on his way back to the mansion his familiars voice had called into in his head and spoke of the news he had been dreading.

_'__The first suitor has made himself known'_ the beast had said, a calm unwavering tone in its voice. Alucard had been so filled with anger that he punched a sizable dent into one of the armoured vans the soldiers pilled in and out of. This reaction had not gone unnoticed and a second vehicle had to be brought down so the men could go back in a safe means of transport, rather than a crumpled explosion hazard. Upon arriving back the vampire had been ordered to his masters office immediately, no doubt to receive punishment for his actions. He had fazed angrily through the floors and neglected to retain his shadows, which coiled and whipped around him like angry tentacles from an ancient fabled monster. The worst part of this situation was that he wasn't quite sure why he felt so annoyed about this revelation in Seras' life, it wasn't as if it was unexpected it was bound to happen sooner or later, but he had never expected that it would affect him so much.

"Having a bad day are we Alucard?" Teased his master, finally finished with her paper work. He gave no reply other than an irritated grunt and a deathly cold stare, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with Integra's' mockery. "Hmmm," She murmured, "Well I would ask what happened but you wouldn't tell me anyways, and I would ask you to pay for the damages you caused, but I don't pay you anything. So I guess I'll have to give you a warning and suspend you from missions until I see that you are in the right sate of mind to return. You have the rest of the night to yourself but try not to disturb Miss Pennaguille's lessons, they are of great importance and your interference would no doubt hinder her progress severely. Alucard nodded and gave a short bow before turning to leave, intent on finding his fledgling, but was stopped just before the door, as his master addressed him once again.

"Alucard?" She said, her voice icy cold and her face coated in shadow "If you ever damage one of my vehicles over a hissy-fit again, I will not think twice about dragging your vampiric arse outside, filling you with as many silver bullets as I can find and leaving the sun to claim your body as dust. Do you understand?" There was a brief pause before he replied with,

"Yes, my master" before he fazed through the wall, leaving Integra to ponder the vampires unusual behaviour. Opening a draw, the iron maiden pulled out a large wooden box and produced from that one of her more expemsive cigars. Lighting the end, she dragged in the smoke, savouring the taste, before exhaling, allowing a small wispy cloud to arise in front of her. It was quite possible that the vampire was experiencing jealousy over Seras, but Integra hadn't noticed the young lady speaking with anyone in such a manner that would cause Alucard to become so wound up. Maybe one of the soldiers had made a rather tasteless remark about the vampiress on the mission? She shook her head at the thought, if that were the case then she would be dealing with a corpse and its caved in skull rather than a ruined military van. Sighing the heiress tapped the ash from het cigar into a crystal ashtray; and turned her chair so it faced the large window behind her. Now was not the time to become bothered over her servant's insane behaviour, for all she knew he could have just been miffed about something that happened a century ago. Whatever it was, Integra decide to amuse herself with other thoughts, most presently with the soldiers who were currently marching in formation at the front of the mansion, she smiled as a new group of young men filled out of the barracks and replaced the those already outside. She would never admit it to anyone else in the household, but watching the men in uniform was one of the most entertaining things she had found to do.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Seras slouched unceremoniously on the sofa whilst Bethany ran through the names and proper way of introducing herself to each guest. After Seras had returned to the mansion, from the garden, she had hidden the gift in her own wardrobe, under piles shoes and unwashed clothes, afraid that someone may find it; she had even locked the blasted hound out of the room so it couldn't tell Alucard where she had hidden it, despite not finding the item particularly endearing or personal, she still wanted to keep it for herself. She wasn't about to let her master spoil a nice memory with his cruelness.

After that meeting, however, her evening had been rather uneventful, the human residents of the house had all gone to eat their 'lunch' at around midnight and after that Bethany's lessons had continued in a rather boring and ceremonial fashion. Seras wasn't entirely sure why she was needed to be present for these lessons, she knew nothing about how to properly introduce herself, and as a vampire she wasn't expected to know or interact with any of the guests but merely defend them, her role here was entirely useless.

"Anyone would think they just want to keep an eye on me…" she muttered under her breath, with a sigh.

Her elbow shifted as the hound nudged her slightly with its nose. Looking down at the creature she couldn't help but smile. The beast had climbed up next to her, and had taken up most of the space available, leaving only a small amount of room for Seras, not that she needed any more, her slight frame allowed her to sit with relative comfort next to the beast. Despite loving animals of all kinds, Seras couldn't bring herself to find Osiris 'cute', he was far too large and malicious looking for that, but he did have an aura of charm about him that made him seem easy to trust, to her anyways, Bethany still seemed to have some reservations about the creature.

_'__Perhaps,'_ a voice in her head wondered _'you find him comforting as he reminds you of Alucard?' _She frowned at the thought, it was a strong possibility, there was no denying that, she had always found her masters presence calming and soothing, and despite herself she found herself thinking back to the event earlier that evening, where he had held her closely as she cried from her nightmare, scared and weak, his embrace had made her feel less alone, and so much stronger too. Her smile grew wider she raised her arm and allowed Osiris to move his head onto her lap as she scratched just his ears, his jet black fur shining prettily in the artificial light. It was a shame such a creature was held in the clutches of the night, seeing him in the glorious sunlight would have been quite the sight to behold.

Shrugging off the thoughts Seras looked up to the pair in the centre of the room, who had suddenly dropped their conversation and instead were looking over at a shadowy figure that was leant against the wall on the far side of the room. The wide brimmed hat and long red coat were instantly recognisable to Seras; however, the spiralling shadows that surrounded the figure were unusual for such a relaxed position.

"Master?" She mumbled, her tone was mainly confused, but part of her was relieved at the prospect of something new happening to break up the monotonous evening. Neither of the humans had been able to hear her words, but Alucard didn't need her to speak any louder to get his attention. He looked up slowly, the tilt of his head pushing up the brim of his hat so his blazing crimson eyes were visible, a casual smile pulling on his lips.

"Good evening" He drawled, his deep voice filling the space easily, he didn't move but his glowing red gaze was locked onto Seras'.

_'__Oh God, he knows, doesn't he?" _The voices in Seras' mind all began talking at once, fighting over the reason for the evil intent that shone in the elder vampires eyes._ "About that vampire who offered himself?" _one asked, Seras could feel her discomfort growing_ "Do you think he'll kill us?" _another asked_ "I don't know! Why would he care? Why do you care if he cares? Is he pissed? He looks pissed'_" There were millions of thoughts and voices swimming through Seras' mind, bickering amongst themselves, but her face remained impassive a matching smile to her masters was playing on her own lips.

"Is there something we can help you with Alucard?" It was Walter who spoke first, his tone polite and his face as calm as ever. It was not as if he were unused to the vampires antics, he just looked both, slightly perturbed and confused by them.

"I merely wish to speak to my fledgling, if that's allowed..?" Alucard's words were shaped in the form of a question, but his harsh tone clearly stated other wise. Walter, however, seemed not to notice the vampire's temperament, or just didn't care, as he shook his head firmly and replied with

"No, unfortunately not Alucard, Miss Victoria is indisposed at the moment and must be present for all Miss Pennaguille's lessons. If you have a problem with this arrangement, please consult sir Integra" Alucard immediately stepped closer to the retainer and drew himself to his full height, the shadows around him snapping like whips in anger and malicious intent. The two males eyes lock together in the elevating tension, Walters head tilted slightly as though he were studying every move of the Master vampire and all his behaviours, as if he was going to analyse them at a later time.

Seras, who was the last person in the room who wanted conflict, suddenly stood from her perch on the sofa and ran between her master and the butler, her vampiric powers and nerves making her movements fast and jagged.

"There's no need to fight, I'm more than happy to speak with you, maser, just calm down first. Please." Her sudden appearance had broken the death stare competition and her tone was cautious but slow, like she were facing off against a raging hound, which to be honest wasn't too far from the truth. Alucard, who's eyes were now locked onto that of his fledglings, paused for a long moment before he withdrew his tendrils of darkness and stepped backwards and towards the exit of the room.

"Come, Police girl, don't dawdle" Seras sighed, relived not to have witnessed the decapitation of someone she considered a friend, and followed her master out of the room. She threw an apologetic look over her shoulder at the two humans before withdrawing from the large ballroom, along with Osiris who lazily sauntered behind her, unconcerned with the events that had just passed, leaving the vast space encased in silence.

"Why did you challenge him like that?!" Bethany questioned the retainer under her breath, aware of how acute the occults' hearing could be, in spite of this her words were sharp and cut the air like knives "he could have killed you, and you and I both know that Seras does next to nothing for my education in such trivial matters as these. Her leaving would have had no affect, no affect what so ever, and yet you deliberately made it seem as though she wasn't merely here on formality. Have you lost your god-damn mind?!"

Walter smiled kindly down at the young girl, a serene expression that was entirely unsuited to the situation

"As much as your concern comforts me, Miss Pennaguille, I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, as is necessary in my line of work. However, as for your question to my motives of purposefully frustrating Alucard, I was merely testing a theory of mine, and I do find the results of this experiment to be fairly conclusive." Walter nodded to himself slightly before turning to the young heiress and beginning the lessons again, ignoring her further questions and protests, carrying on as though there had never been a single vampire or hell hound in the room at all.


End file.
